Dec. 18, 2015
RELATED INFO
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
Ohio State Individual Notes
Ohio State TEAM Notes
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.