Fifth-year guard Jacy Sheldon (4), second-year forward Cotie McMahon celebrate with fifth-year guard Rikki Harris (1) after a buzzer-beater at the end of the third-quarter. The No. 2-ranked Buckeyes defeated Nebraska 80-47. Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor
Despite a slow offensive start, the Buckeyes turned to a familiar friend to pull away from the Cornhuskers; the full-court press.
No. 2 Ohio State (22-3, 13-1 Big Ten) defeated Nebraska (16-9, 8-6 Big Ten) 80-47 Wednesday at Value City Arena at the Schottenstein Center thanks to its defense forcing 30 turnovers, leading to 29 points on the other end.
The win extends the Buckeyes’ winning streak to 12 games.
Graduate guard Jacy Sheldon said the team’s identity is built around the full-court press, which creates endless scoring opportunities.
“I think for us the backbone of our game is our press and our defense and when it’s flowing, it leads the offense,” Sheldon said. “It was a lot of fun to see a lot of people thrive in that press.”
Both teams came out of the gates ice cold, as each team missed seven of its first nine shots from the floor before the first media timeout with 4:34 left in the first as the game was tied at five.
However, Nebraska was unable to take care of the basketball, as it ended up with more turnovers than points in the first quarter. Ohio State turned eight Nebraska turnovers into points as its lead built to 14-7 at the end of the first.
The start of the second quarter featured more of the same on both sides, as the Buckeyes got quick buckets off two Nebraska turnovers from sophomore forward Cotie McMahon and Sheldon to extend their lead to 20-9 at the 7:59 mark.
McMahon had her fifth double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds while Sheldon finished with a team-high 23 points, going 5-of-8 from deep, grabbing 6 rebounds and a team-high 6 assists.
Junior center/forward Alexis Markowski, Nebraska’s leading scorer and rebounder who averages over 16 points and 10 rebounds per game, did not get her first bucket until the 6:56 mark in the second.
Markowski finished with a team-high 9 points and 16 rebounds for the Cornhuskers, just one point shy of her 15th double-double of the season.
Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff said it took a full team effort to slow down the star post player for Nebraska.
“I thought our post defense was good, we’re getting better in that area,” McGuff said. “Our post players are working really hard and the guards are helping them, it’s a collective effort and so that’s going to be important.”
After both teams began trading threes, graduate forward Taiyier Parks made a putback layup in the final 8 seconds of the half as Ohio State’s lead ballooned 33-19 at halftime. Parks finished with 6 points and 3 rebounds off the bench for Ohio State.
Despite the big lead, the Buckeyes would not let up the intensity to start the second half.
Ohio State opened up the third on a 13-0 run with four baskets coming off Nebraska turnovers as its lead expanded to 27 with 6:55 remaining in the third.
Despite a quick 6-0 run for Nebraska, redshirt-senior guard Rikki Harris answered for the Buckeyes with a three with 2:55 left in the third. Harris ended up knocking down another triple with four seconds left in the quarter as Ohio State went up 62-34.
Harris finished with 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting off the bench for the Buckeyes.
McGuff said Harris’ ability to play at a high level off the bench has helped the team improve over the course of the season.
“[Harris is] always in the right spot at the right time, she communicates on the floor, she knows what we do and where everybody else will be,” McGuff said. “She’s playing at a high level now and making shots so she’s given us really great minutes.”
Ohio State continued its hot shooting to start the fourth with Sheldon’s fifth triple of the game, extending its lead to 67-34 with 8:40 left. In the game, the Buckeyes shot 9-of-21 from downtown.
Markowski answered for Nebraska with a three of her own, cutting the lead back down to 30.
However, the Buckeyes continued to play well offensively, as a McMahon jumper with 5:45 left gave them their largest lead of the game, 71-37.
Freshman center Faith Carson scored her first career field goal in the final seconds of the game, giving the Buckeyes an 80-47 lead.
McGuff said the press helped the team gain complete momentum in the game in the second half.
“I thought we played really hard tonight,” McGuff said. “I thought our physical and mental energy in the second half, especially in the press, really allowed us to take control of the game.”
The Buckeyes get a week off before they travel to State College, Pennsylvania, to take on Penn State on Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. Ohio State previously defeated the Nittany Lions at home on Dec. 10, 2023, in overtime, 94-84.
The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
