The Ohio State women’s basketball team sings ‘Carmen Ohio’ after earning an upset win over No. 5 Tennessee on Nov. 8. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
A new year didn’t stop Ohio State from playing its same ole style.
The No. 20 Buckeyes (11-3, 2-1 Big Ten) opened up 2024 with a convincing 90-60 win against Northwestern (6-9, 1-3 Big Ten) at Welsh-Ryan Arena Friday night in Evanston, Illinois.
A one-point lead entering the second quarter, blew open to a 30-point victory in the fourth, thanks to 28 Wildcats turnovers and an all-around offensive performance in which ten Buckeyes scored.
Graduate guards Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor led the squad with 18 and 15 points, respectively, with Taylor finishing 2-of-4 shooting from three. The Buckeyes bench also gave them a much-needed boost, as they totaled 26 points.
The Buckeyes scored the first six points of the game, leading to an early Wildcats timeout just seven minutes into the ballgame. Back-to-back threes from Northwestern forward Caileigh Walsh hastily put the Wildcats on the scoreboard.
The shot became one of a dozen as the two teams finished the night shooting nearly 40% from distance, with the Wildcats edging the Buckeyes going 8-of-15.
Nearly half of Northwestern’s threes came in the first quarter, allowing them to stay within reach and briefly take a 16-15 lead.
A one-point deficit from the Wildcats entering the second quarter quickly turned into 14, thanks to a flurry of points from a litany of Buckeye players.
Seven Buckeyes scored in the second quarter, with three being veteran role players redshirt senior Rikki Harris, redshirt senior Madison Greene and graduate forward Eboni Walker, who started in place of graduate forward Rebeka Mikulasikova.
Despite missing its fourth-leading scorer, Walker filled in perfectly, not missing a beat as she finished the night with double-digits on the scoreboard.
In the graduate’s first start of the season, she put up 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field. Walker helped Ohio State turn up its engine, as it forced 15 turnovers in the first half, leading to 10 points on the other end.
An offensive rebound from Walker, set up junior guard Taylor Thierry for an easy lay-in with 6:19 to go. The points became just two of 42 that the Buckeyes scored in the paint.
The Buckeyes continued attacking the basket, and a pair of free throws from Greene with less than five minutes remaining gave the Buckeyes their first double-digit lead of the game.
While the Buckeyes continued to score, the Wildcats moved away from the basket.
A steal from Thierry with seven seconds left put Northwestern at seven turnovers and left it scoreless from the six-minute mark onward.
Ohio State held Northwestern to 9 points in the second quarter, as it finished 4-of-11 from the field while the Buckeyes totaled 22 points.
The turnovers persisted in the second half, which meant bad news for Wildcat fans.
Despite seemingly breaking the Buckeyes’ full-court press, it proved to be only short-term, as the Buckeyes went on a 9-0 run midway through the third. Walsh snapped the streak with a fastbreak layup of her own with 4:57 to go.
Still, Northwestern wasn’t able to keep up with the Buckeyes’ offensive power as they were outscored 20-13 in the third quarter with its mistakes coming back to haunt them.
The Buckeyes scored 37 points off 28 Wildcat turnovers and a free throw from Thierry with eight seconds on the clock. This pushed them to a 20-point lead, which turned into 30 in the waning minutes of the fourth.
Ohio State’s ability to keep control of the ball, garnering only seven turnovers, allowed the Buckeyes to extend their lead, permitting their role players to play efficiently, minutes ahead of its next Big Ten matchup.
The Buckeyes return home to face Rutgers Wednesday in Value Center. Big Ten Plus will televise at 6 p.m.
