Dec. 18, 2015

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• Box Score (PDF)
• Highlights
• McGuff Postgame Press Conference
• Alston and Mitchel Postgame Press Conference
• Princeton coach Courtney Banghart Press Conference
• 2015-16 Stats
• 2015-16 Schedule
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The backcourt duo of Ameryst Alston and Kelsey Mitchell combined for 52 points to lead No. 10 Ohio State to a 90-70 victory over Princeton Friday night at Value City Arena.

The Buckeyes win their third-straight and improve to 7-3 overall while Princeton falls for just the second time and is now 9-2 on the year.

Short Story

Facing a very game opponent at the end of finals weeks, Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff was hoping his team was on top of their game Friday night. What he got was possibly the most complete effort of the season in a 90-70 victory over Princeton.

As is the case in most games for the Buckeyes, the backcourt duo of Ameryst Alston and Kelsey Mitchell led the way. Alston was 10-of-16 from the floor, 4-of-8 from long range and finished with a game-high 27 points and six assists. Mitchell has similar numbers as she notched 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.

Shayla Cooper was the third Buckeye in double-figures as she finished with 10 points and a team-high six rebounds.

For the sixth time in the last seven games, the Buckeyes shot over 50 percent as a team, which included a 12-of-17 (70.6 percent) effort in the second quarter. Defensively, the Buckeyes held Princeton to under 40 percent shooting and forced 14 turnovers.

The other telling stat in the game, and one McGuff had emphasized this week in practice, was rebounding. The Tigers came into the game out-rebounding their opponents by nearly 16 boards per game. With hot shooting and a concerted effort on the glass, the Buckeyes finished even at 33 rebounds apiece. That was just the third time this season the Tigers failed to win the battle on the boards.   

The Buckeyes wasted little time in setting the tone. After Princeton took a 10-9 lead midway through the first quarter, Ohio State ended the quarter on a 15-2 run and extended that run to 23-5 in taking a 32-15 advantage early in the second quarter.

Princeton pulled to within 10 a couple of minutes later but another 18-6 run to end the first half swung the momentum back to the Buckeyes for good.

The Buckeyes shot 66.7 percent (20-of-30) over the second and third quarters and led 74-47 through three quarters. In fact, Alston and Mitchell matched the Tigers through the first three quarters with 47 combined points.

Key Players
Ameryst Alston (OSU) – 27 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds
Kelsey Mitchell (OSU) – 25 points, 3 assists
Michelle Miller (PRIN) – 21 points, 5 rebounds

Key Stretch

• After Princeton took a brief 10-9 lead halfway through the first quarter, the Buckeyes would finish the quarter on a 15-2 run to double-up the Tigers 24-12 at the end of one quarter.
• The Buckeyes were 6-of-9 from the floor during the run while holding the Tigers to just 1-of-7 shooting and forcing three turnovers.
• Mitchell scored seven points in the final five minutes of the quarter.
• The run continued at the onset of the second quarter as the Buckeyes built a 32-15 lead.
• That stretch set the tone for the rest of the game.

Ohio State Individual Notes

• This was the sixth time this season in which Ameryst Alston and Kelsey Mitchell each scored 20 or more points and the Buckeyes are now 5-1 when that happens.
• With her 27 points, Alston moves into the top-10 in OSU history in career points. She now has 1,749 points which passes Nikita Lowry who had 1,746 from 1986-89 and is one shy of Lisa Cline who has 1,750 from 1986-89.
• Alston assists led the team with six assists and has now dished-out 25 assists in the last four games.
• This was Alston’s sixth game this season and the 38^th of her career with 20 or more points.
• Mitchell reached the 20-point mark for the eighth time this year.
• Lisa Blair made her first start of the season and just the second of her career. Her last start came on March 2, 2014 at Minnesota.
• Blair finished with a season-high nine points and grabbed four rebounds to go along with two blocks.

Ohio State TEAM Notes

• This was the sixth time in the last seven games that the Buckeyes have shot better than 50 percent from the floor. OSU was 34-of-59 for 57.6 percent
• The Buckeyes scored 90 points for the fourth time this season and are now 4-0 when topping 90 points.
• Princeton came into the game allowing just 53.8 points per game and the Buckeyes were nearly able to hit that mark in the first half, putting up 52 points.

Up Next
The Buckeyes will close out the non-conference portion of the schedule on Monday when it hosts ACC-foe Virginia. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. from Value City Arena. The Cavaliers defeated the Buckeyes last year in Charlottesville in the season-opener for  both teams.