Ohio State Earns First Ranked Win of the Season

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Ohio State Earns First Ranked Win of the Season

12/8/2024 7:56:00 PM | General, Women's Basketball

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The Buckeyes defeated No. 21/21 Illinois by an 83-74 margin on Sunday in the Big Ten opener.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 12/7 Ohio State women's basketball team (8-0, 1-0 B1G) earned its first ranked win of the season, defeating No. 21/21 Illinois (7-2, 0-1 B1G) by an 83-74 margin on Sunday afternoon in the Big Ten opener.

Ohio State started quickly and led by an 18-16 margin after 10 minutes. The Buckeyes outscored the Illini 15-1 in the final six minutes of the first half to take a 40-26 lead into the locker room. Ohio State won the third quarter 21-17 to extend its lead to 61-43 after three quarters of play. The Buckeyes held off a late Illinois push to earn the victory.

Taylor Thierry was the first in the game to double figures, doing so for the fifth time this season and finishing with 14 points. Cotie McMahon joined Thierry in double figures in the first half and totaled a season-high 25 points in the game. Chance Gray also scored in double figures with 13 points.

How it Happened
Jaloni Cambridge opened scoring and Cotie McMahon made a triple in her debut as Ohio State led 5-0. A Taylor Thierry three-pointer and a McMahon and-one gave the Buckeyes a 13-6 lead with 5:53 remaining. Illinois used a 6-0 run to take its first lead of the game, 16-15, with one minute to play in the quarter. Thierry ended the first quarter with a three-point play to give the Buckeyes an 18-16 lead after 10 minutes.

The Fighting Illini tied the game at 18 to begin the second quarter and took a 23-20 lead with seven minutes to play, following five unanswered points. An extended 12-2 run, fueled by seven points from Gray and five points from Thierry, gave the Buckeyes a 32-25 lead at the media timeout. Ohio State's defense allowed only one point in the last 6:13, outscoring Illinois 15-1 over that time to build a 40-26 lead going into the locker room.

McMahon opened the second half with her second and-one of the game, but Illinois responded with the next six points to cut its deficit to 43-32 with 8:31 remaining in the third quarter. Ohio State put together a 6-0 run of its own before the teams traded scoring heading into the media timeout with the Buckeyes up by a 54-38 margin. The Buckeyes held a 61-43 lead after 30 minutes.

The Illini put together a 6-0 run to cut their deficit to 63-52 with 7:48 remaining in the game. The Buckeyes held the 71-55 advantage midway through the fourth quarter. Illinois got within single digits at 73-65 with three minutes to play but Ohio State responded with seven points in 1:07 of playing time to extend the lead to 80-65 with just under a minute remaining on the game clock. Ohio State's scoring was capped at the free throw line as the Buckeyes earned an 83-74 win.

Highlights

Match Notes

Ohio State forced 19 Illinois turnovers, scoring 30 points of off turnovers, and recorded nine steals.
This is the Buckeyes' first game against a ranked opponent this season.
The Buckeyes extended their winning streak against the Illini to 11 games.
Taylor Thierry's fifth double-figure performance of the season was good for 14 points. She was the first in the game to reach double figures, doing so midway through the second quarter.
Cotie McMahon reached double figures in the first half on her way to a season-high 25 points. She's scored 10 or more points in all four games she's played in this season and reached 20 in two of them.
Chance Gray scored in double figures for the sixth time as a Buckeye as she finished with 13 points.
Q1: The Buckeye defense forced seven turnovers in the opening frame.
Q2: Ohio State held Illinois to only one point in the last 6:13 of the quarter, while the Buckeyes scored 15 points during that stretch.
Q3: McMahon had 11 points in the quarter.
Q4: The Buckeyes shot 7-of-12 (.583) in the quarter.

Up Next
Ohio State hosts Ball State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on B1G+ and AM1460.

Ohio State women's basketball tickets for the 2024-25 season are available online as Buckeye Nation continues to make Value City Arena in the Schottenstein Center one of the most exciting venues in the country. The Buckeyes have holideals for multiple winter sports, including women's basketball, now through the end of the calendar year with the deal applying to specific games throughout the season. View more information about the holideals and purchase tickets HERE.

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