Ohio State
Belmont
Buckeyes Bounce Back, Beat Belmont Bruins 84-56 – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 19, 2015
- Final Stats
- Box Score (PDF)
- Head coach Kevin McGuff Press Conference
- Alston, Mitchell, Craft Press Conference
- Belmont Head Coach Cameron Newbauer
- 2015-16 Schedule
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s basketball team picked up its first win of the season Thursday night, beating Belmont 84-56 at Value City Arena.
Three players scored in double figures for the Buckeyes (1-2), led by Kelsey Mitchell with 25 points. Cait Craft tied a career high with five 3-point field goals.
THE SHORT STORY
After a tough opening two games, the Buckeyes regrouped and shot their way to an 84-56 victory. Belmont played mostly a zone defense in an effort to stop the Buckeyes’ dribble penetration. OSU’s answer was to work the ball for open looks around the perimeter. Sixteen three-pointers and a total of 25 assists means — mission accomplished.
Unlike the first two games, the Buckeyes got off to a fast start and led 21-8 at the end of the first quarter. Belmont never threatened the rest of the night as the Bruins were held to just 17 points in the opening half.
All-American point guard Kelsey Mitchell led all scorers with 25 points on 6-of-12 shooting from long range. She also dished-out six assists. Ameryst Alston made four three-pointers and finished with 22 points. The player of the night was senior Cait Craft. She connected on a career-high tying five three-point field goals and also dished-out a career-high nine assists.
Belmont was led by Kylee Smith who finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.
KEY PLAYERS
Cait Craft (OSU) – 15 points, 9 assists
Kelsey Mitchell (OSU) – 25 points, 6 assists, 6 three-pointers
Ameryst Alston (OSU) – 22 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds
KEY STAT
With Belmont sitting in a zone, the Buckeyes took advantage with good ball movement and knocked down their shots from beyond the arc. Ohio State was 16-of-38 (42.1 percent) from long range. Both three-pointers made and three-pointers attempted were one-off the OSU single-game records.
OHIO STATE INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- With her four assists, Ameryst Alston passed former teammate and current WNBA star Tayler Hill (2010-13) for ninth place in school-history in career assists. Alston now has (347) assists in her career.
- Alston scored her 1,600th career point in the game and is currently 12th in school history with (1,613) points.
- After having her consecutive games with a three-pointer streak stopped last game against UConn, Kelsey Mitchell made six three-pointers against Belmont.
- This was Mitchell’s seventh game of her career with six or more three-pointers.
- Cait Craft tied a career-high five three-point field goals in the game and she also dished-out a career-high nine assists.
- Freshman Theresa Ekhelar scored her first collegiate points on a put-back in the fourth quarter.
- Forward Alexa Hart recorded one block and has not blocked at least one shot in 23-straight games.
OHIO STATE TEAM NOTES
- The Buckeyes had a season-high 25 assists on 32 made field goals.
- Ohio State is 10-0 in games under Kevin McGuff when assisting on 20 or more field goals.
- OSU made 16-of-38 three-pointer field goal attempts. Both numbers were one-off the OSU single-game record.
UP NEXT
The Buckeyes will finish their opening home stand this Sunday when they take on Wagner inside of St. John Arena. The game will tip-off at 2 p.m. and will be streamed on BTN Plus. The game will feature a matchup of the top two scorers in the country last season as Ohio State’s Kelsey Mitchell (No. 1 – 24.9) and Wagner’s Jasmine Nwajei (No. 2 – 24.8) will go head-to-head.
