Fifth-year guard Celeste Taylor (12) fights through contact during a layup attempt. No. 8 Ohio State defeated Wisconsin 87-49 at the Schottenstein Center Thursday. Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor

The third quarter was Ohio State’s best friend this week. 

After a historic 39-point third quarter versus Wisconsin on Thursday, the Buckeyes dominated it once again, which was enough to hold off a late rally from the Hoosiers. 

The No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes (19-3, 10-1 Big Ten) defeated No. 10 Indiana (18-3, 9-2 Big Ten) 74-69 Sunday at Value City Arena at the Schottenstein Center behind a 23-point third quarter as the Buckeyes earned their ninth consecutive win. 

Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff said the Buckeyes’ intensity was amped up exiting the locker room after halftime, which helped the Buckeyes take control of the game. 

“We were much more aggressive and energetic in our press,” McGuff said. “You let them just walk the ball up and execute. Throw it into Mackenzie [Holmes] — it’s really hard to guard, so I thought we needed the press. In the third quarter, we were just much better at it.”

Graduate guard Jacy Sheldon tied the game at 37 with a three early in the third, but fifth-year guard Sara Scalia answered the following possession for Indiana with a three of her own. 

Sheldon finished with 25 points, with 20 of them coming after halftime. Scalia led the way for Indiana with 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the floor and 3-of-8 from distance. 

Things quickly changed for the worse for the Hoosiers. 

A fast-break layup off a Hoosier turnover for graduate guard Celeste Taylor gave Ohio State a 55-44 lead with 2:01 left in the third, extending its run to 16-2. The Buckeyes had 21 points off 23 Indiana turnovers. 

Sheldon said the Buckeyes focused on the fundamentals, which was key in Ohio State taking control of the game in the third. 

“We just decided to control things we could control, which were getting stops and moving the ball and taking open shots so they eventually did go in,” Sheldon said. “When that happens, you just got to rely on going back to the basics and what we do is defense.” 

The second quarter was a different story, as Indiana went on a 7-0 run at the start of the second quarter to cut the Buckeyes’ lead to two. 

However, a fast-break layup from redshirt-senior guard Rikki Harris and an and-1 from sophomore forward Cotie McMahon off a Hoosier turnover gave momentum back to the Buckeyes. 

McMahon had another solid all-around outing for Ohio State, finishing with 20 points, seven boards and five assists before fouling out late in the game. 

Things started slowing down for Ohio State as Indiana ended the half on a 7-0 run to take a 37-32 lead at halftime. 

Sheldon said Ohio State’s experience helped them stay calm during the break. 

“We’ve been down in a lot of games, we’ve been up and had to keep the lead,” Sheldon said. “That’s something we emphasize a lot is just keeping our cool physically and mentally and we did a good job.”

The momentum continued to favor the Buckeyes late as Sheldon’s three extended Ohio State’s lead 60-47, its largest of the game. 

However, Indiana kept things interesting after sophomore guard Lexus Bargesser made a layup that cut Ohio State’s lead to eight, 65-57 with 4:14 remaining. 

McGuff said running the offense through McMahon and Sheldon was big for Ohio State late in the ballgame. 

“The team knows we’re gonna run a lot of things through Cotie [McMahon] and Jacy [Sheldon] at the end of the game and everybody’s comfortable with that,” McGuff said. “As the season is evolving, it’s a part of our identity and a part of our role definition, and I think that’s really important.”

Junior guard/forward Taylor Thierry made a three late to extend Ohio State’s lead  68-57 with 3:03 left. Graduate forward Mackenzie Holmes answered at the other end for Indiana with a layup that dropped the Buckeyes’ lead down to nine. 

The star forward had 14 points and nine rebounds but was kept in check during the second half as she scored just 4 points.  

Despite every last effort from the Hoosiers, the Buckeyes were able to ice the game at the charity stripe and hold off a resilient Indiana squad. 

McMahon said every game in conference play is equally as important for the Buckeyes to win down the stretch. 

“The big games are fun, but I wouldn’t say we have a little game, the Big Ten is crazy difficult this season,” McMahon said. “Every game counts, every game matters and we got to give it our all every single game.”

The Buckeyes travel to Minneapolis to face Minnesota Thursday at 9 p.m., at Williams Arena. The game will be exclusively streamed on Peacock.