Largest Second-Half Comeback in Program History Improves OSU’s Start to 17-0
1/8/2023 4:44:57 PM | Women's Basketball
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 3/3 Ohio State Buckeyes (17-0, 6-0 B1G) beat RV/RV Illinois (14-3, 4-2 B1G) on Sunday at home by an 87-81 margin thanks to the biggest second-half comeback in program history.
The teams went back and forth for the first 10 minutes and were tied at 22 as a result. Illinois used a sharp-shooting second quarter to take a 47-37 lead into the locker room. Ohio State erased a 17-point deficit in the third quarter to tie the game at 65 after 30 minutes and went on to win 87-81 by taking the lead to start the fourth.
Taylor Mikesell led all players with a season-high 31 points on 11-of-22 (.500) shooting, including going 7-of-14 (.500) from long range. Cotie McMahon recorded her sixth 20-point game of the season, finishing with 22 points. Hevynne Bristow led the Buckeyes on the boards by tying her career-high eight rebounds.
How it Happened
Illinois opened scoring with a triple, followed by four points by Ohio State. There were eight lead changes before the media timeout as the teams were tied at 15 midway through the quarter. The teams were tied at 22 after 10 minutes of play.
The Fighting Illini started the second quarter on a 10-2 advantage, taking a 32-24 lead with 6:12 to play in the quarter and forcing a Buckeye timeout. The teams traded points with Illinois maintaining a 47-37 lead going into the locker room.
Mikesell began the third quarter with her fifth three-pointer of the game but Illinois responded with the next 10 points to stretch the lead to 57-40 with 6:47 remaining in the quarter. Cotie McMahon scored seven-unanswered points in under a minute to cut the deficit to 57-47 and force an Illinois timeout. The Buckeyes tied the game at 58 as part of an 18-1 run with 2:16 to play in the third. A Rikki Harris triple gave OSU its first lead since the first half, but the game was tied at 65 after 30 minutes.
Harris opened fourth-quarter scoring with a three-pointer. Mikesell surpassed 30 points with a quick triple and layup as Ohio State stretched its lead to 77-68 with 6:18 to play. Illinois cut the OSU lead to 79-74 with just under four minutes remaining. The teams traded three-pointers before both teams went without a basket for two minutes. The Fighting Illini cut the OSU lead to 85-81 with a jumper with 25 seconds to play. Taylor Thierry closed the game with a pair of free throws.
Highlights
Q1: Rebeka Mikulášiková three-pointer
Q2: Taylor Mikesell three-pointer
Q2: Hevynne Bristow through contact
Q3: Taylor Mikesell three-pointer
Q4: Rikki Harris steal, Cotie McMahon layup
Game Notes
- This is Ohio State’s largest second-half comeback to win a game in program history after being down 17 with less than seven minutes to play in the third quarter. The Buckeyes previously came back from 13-point third-quarter deficits this season to beat Louisville on Nov. 30 and South Florida on Dec. 20.
- This is the third time this season that Ohio State has turned the ball over less than 10 times, totaling nine turnovers today.
- Taylor Mikesell was the first Buckeye player to reach double figures, doing so in the second quarter and totaling 10+ for the 16th time this season. This is her sixth 20-point game and second 30-point game of the season. She finished with 31 points and a season-best seven made triples.
- Cotie McMahon scored in double figures for the 10th time this season and recorded her sixth 20-point game, finishing with 22 on 6-of-10 (.600) shooting and going 10-of-13 from the line.
- Taylor Thierry reached double figures for the 11th time this season, totaling 12 points.
- Hevynne Bristow matched her career-high eight rebounds.
What They Said
- Head Coach Kevin McGuff: “We’ve proven time and time again – when we play the game the right way and stick to our identity, good things happen. We just haven’t been doing it for long enough stretches as of late.”
- Senior guard Taylor Mikesell: “We work on [driving and kicking] every single day, finding the open person and just being super unselfish. At that point, we had started to see shots fall and we’re getting a lot of different momentum swings sometimes defense turned into offense. I think that was just a good example of what we do every single day.”
- Freshman forward Cotie McMahon: “We needed someone to step up and get the energy going. I felt like that was my perfect moment to kind of just take it from there and that’s what I did.
Up Next
Ohio State travels to RV/- Nebraska on Saturday for a 2:30 p.m. ET tip. The game will be broadcast live on BTN and will also be featured on FM 97.1 in the Columbus area in addition to being on AM 1460.
To support Ohio State women’s basketball throughout the season here on campus, fans may now purchase mini plans HERE or single game tickets for all remaining home games HERE. Applicable service fees will apply to all tickets. For group tickets and any questions, contact an account representative at 1-800-GO-BUCKS or via email at athletic.tix@osu.edu. All group tickets must be purchased in advance.
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