Ohio State freshman center Elsa Lemmilä (12) looks to pass during the game against Washington. The Buckeyes defeated the Huskies 66-56. Credit: Heidi Chang | Lantern Photographer
Ohio State found itself trailing Washington for the first 11 minutes of play and closely battled the Huskies for the next five.
That was until head coach Kevin McGuff made a substitution.
Enter Elsa Lemmilä.
On a night where offense was hard to come by for either squad, Lemmilä provided a spark for a pivotal 10-0 run that gave the Buckeyes a lead over the Huskies they never relinquished.
The Finnish freshman center ended the game with four points and one assist to go with a team-high seven rebounds and three steals off the bench.
McGuff said Lemmilä’s execution on both ends of the floor was a catalyst.
“She does exactly what she’s supposed to do almost every time,” McGuff said. “She’s got great attention to detail and great execution on both ends of the floor for us and she doesn’t try to do too much.”
When Lemmilä entered the game with 5:56 left in the second quarter, the Buckeyes trailed the Huskies 24-22.
She provided immediate impact, notching four points in the quarter while she added three rebounds and two steals.
Lemmilä’s length made it hard for Washington to score on Ohio State, especially down low, as the Huskies shot 0-for-7 from the field and 0-for-2 from behind the arc the rest of the half.
This defense allowed the Buckeyes to outscore Washington 14-2 over that crucial final 5:56 before the break.
Lemmilä said she fuels her confidence with her defense.
“I find confidence through my defense,” Lemmilä said. “Recovering from my injury, I’ve kind of lost that confidence in my offense and it’s starting to come back, but I’ve always been good at defense.”
Lemmilä’s defense has shined throughout the season as she leads the Buckeyes in blocks with 37. That mark is second in the country among freshmen, trailing Notre Dame’s Kate Koval by three.
Forward Cotie McMahon said she was very proud of Lemmilä and believes the team can rely on her, even as a freshman.
“We are so proud of Elsa, and the fact we can count on her as a freshman is just something that you know, not everybody has the opportunity to do,” McMahon said. “It is really nice because we can literally count on her cleaning up our mistakes. As far as blocking shots, getting a rebound, just little stuff like that.”
