Buckeyes Best No. 25 Penn State in Overtime Battle

Sunday, December 10

Columbus, Ohio

1:00 PM

Ohio State

8-1,1-0Big Ten

No. 25/RV Penn State

7-3,0-1Big Ten

OT 1

Penn St.

Ohio St.

Buckeyes Best No. 25 Penn State in Overtime Battle

12/10/2023 5:31:00 PM | General, Women's Basketball

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Ohio State earned its second ranked win of the season on Sunday in the Big Ten opener.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 12/11 Ohio State Buckeyes (8-1, 1-0 B1G) earned a gritty comeback victory against No. 25/RV Penn State (7-3, 0-1 B1G) on Sunday afternoon in the Big Ten opener on alumni day, beating the Nittany Lions in overtime by a 94-84 margin.

Ohio State led by as many as seven points in the first quarter but the score was tied at 26 after 10 minutes. Penn State took its lead of the game to open the second quarter and led by a 50-40 margin at halftime. The Buckeyes got within two in the third quarter but a Nittany Lion push gave them a 68-61 lead at the end of the third. The Buckeyes took the lead back in the fourth with the first 10 points of the quarter but the game would require overtime as the Nittany Lions fought back to tie the score at 80 at the end of regulation. Ohio State scored the first nine points in overtime and allowed just one PSU field goal to seal the 94-84 win.

Jacy Sheldon was the first to score in double figures today with 10 points in the first eight minutes on her way to 31 points total. Cotie McMahon (27) and Celeste Taylor (13) also scored in double figures. Taylor added 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season.

How it Happened
Celeste Taylor opened scoring with a second-chance layup one minute into the game. Ohio State scored the first five points before Penn State tied the score at seven at the media timeout. The Buckeyes led by as many as seven points at 20-13 with 2:19 to play but the Nittany Lions tied the game at 26 after 10 minutes with the final five points.

Penn State scored the first seven points of the second quarter to take its first lead of the game and force an Ohio State timeout down 33-26 with 8:21 remaining in the half. The Buckeyes called a second timeout after an 8-0 Penn State run gave the Nittany Lions a 41-29 lead with 6:33 to play in the first half. Ohio State got within four at 42-38 but trailed 50-40 at halftime.

The Nittany Lions opened the second half with a triple before the Buckeyes answered. Ohio State got within single digits at 55-46 with 7:14 remaining in the third quarter. The Buckeyes used an 8-0 run to cut their deficit to 61-59 with 1:55 to play, forcing a PSU timeout. The Nittany Lions made a triple out of the timeout and led 68-59 at the end of the quarter.

Ohio State scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter to take a 69-68 lead on a three-pointer from Rebeka Mikulášiková with 6:23 remaining. Penn State scored midway through the quarter to take the lead back and then tied the game at 71. The Buckeyes scored back-to-back baskets to lead 75-71 with just under three to play but the Nittany Lions took a 76-75 lead with 2:03 to play. McMahon converted on a pair of free throw attempts and Taylor drained a three-pointer to give Ohio State an 80-76 lead with 43 seconds remaining. Penn State scored out of a timeout with 25 seconds to play to make it a one possession game and tied the game at 80 with 10.8 seconds on the game clock. The game would require overtime.

Ohio State scored the first nine points of the overtime period, building an 89-80 lead with 1:13 to play. Penn State got to the free throw line once and converted only one basket during overtime as the Buckeyes closed the game's scoring at the free throw line.

Highlights

Game Notes

This is the Buckeyes' first overtime game of the season.
Ohio State's defense forced at least 20 turnovers for the eighth time this season.
OSU attempted 42 free throws today, the first time since Dec. 7, 2016 against Southern that the Buckeyes have gotten to the line at least 40 times.
The Buckeyes won the rebounding battle 41-36.
This is Ohio State's second ranked win of the season, previously winning at Tennessee one week ago today.
Jacy Sheldon and Cotie McMahon were the first Ohio State duo to each score at least 25 points in a game since Rebeka Mikulášiková and Taylor Mikesell did so last season against Oregon.
Sheldon was the first in the game to double figures, doing so with 10 in the first quarter on her way to a season-high 31 today – just two short of her career-high.
This is Sheldon's eighth game of the season with 10+ points and third with 20+ points as she surpassed 1,600 career points.
McMahon scored 10+ points for the eighth time this season and finished with a season-high 27 points. This is her third 20+ point game of the season. She also totaled a season-high eight rebounds.
Celeste Taylor scored in double figures for the third time this season and totaled 13 points today. She added 11 rebounds for her second double-double as a Buckeye.
Madison Greene made her season debut after missing the second half of last season due to injury.
Mikulášiková made her 100^th career three-pointer.
Q1: The Buckeye defense forced seven turnovers in the quarter.
OT: Ohio State's defense forced Penn State to shoot just 1-of-7 (.143) from the floor in the overtime period.

What They Said

Head Coach Kevin McGuff:
- "I think our upperclassmen did a great job of keeping everyone together and on the same page. We looked more connected and on the same page in the second half when we were down by 10 than we did at any point during the game. I told them afterwards to do that for 40 minutes – we'll be right where we need to be."
Senior guard Jacy Sheldon:
- "This win says a lot about our team. We don't have too much of a new group but we do have a lot of newcomers and the fact that we were able to come together in that time instead of separate says a lot about us. It's encouraging because we're still learning how to play together. We're still growing. Our chemistry is only going to build but the fact that we could lean on each other and we were able to come together in that time was good for us."
Sophomore forward Cotie McMahon:
- "It was very emotional [seeing Madison Greene return]. If I wasn't on the court, I would've shed a tear. For her, coming back is more of a mental thing because she went through the process before so she can go through it again. It's mentally challenging. We prayed for her before the game, prayed for her mind to be clear. She got out there and did what she needed to do in her time on the court and that was it. It's really good to see."

Up Next
Ohio State continues its home stand on Friday, hosting Grand Valley State for a 6 p.m. tip-off on superhero night. The game will be broadcast on B1G+ and AM1460.

Tickets for the 2023-24 season are now on sale. For more information, visit ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Contact the ticket office with any questions at 1-800-GOBUCKS (select option 2) or athletic.tix@osu.edu.

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Holideals are back! Enjoy buy one, get one free tickets for select games (listed below). This offer runs through December 31^st at midnight. Use promo code: TMN241

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