No. 16 Ohio State women's basketball defeat No. 20 Tennessee on the road
Almost a month since last going up against a ranked opponent, No. 16 Ohio State headed to Knoxville to face No. 20 Tennessee.
Unlike their season-opener in which they fell to then-21st-ranked USC, the Buckeyes picked up the victory, defeating the Vols 78-58 on Sunday in the Jimmy V Women's Classic.
"I thought we looked really connected out there today," Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. "Both ends of the court, we did a really good job playing together."
Ohio State hit seven of their 10 first field goal attempts with Buckeyes' 6-4 forward, Rebeka Mikulasikova contributing to that total with two buckets from behind the arc.
Tennessee started to gain a little momentum, going on an 8-0 run to close out the first quarter. That cut OSU's lead to 20-15.
After a slow start for both squads to begin the second quarter, Ohio State's defense allowed the Buckeyes to pull away from the Vols. With their press working significantly better than it did against USC, Ohio State recorded 16 points off turnovers in the first half.
"I think every game is different," Celeste Taylor said. "'So, whatever they give us on offense, we just adjust in our press defensively."
Cotie McMahon scored 16 first-half points, helping to put Ohio State ahead 43-28. Jacy Sheldon was the Buckeyes' second leading-scorer of the half with nine, capitalizing off her three steals.
Similar to the way the Buckeyes came out to start the game, Ohio State put together six quick points to start the third quarter, forcing Tennessee to call a timeout. Going into this game, the Vols weren't at full strength with starter Rickea Jackson out for the sixth game in a row.
As the quarter rolled on, Ohio State remained in control. Mikulasikova, who was on the bench for some time in the second quarter due to foul trouble, added eight points to her stat line in the third and ended the night with a season-high 18.
By the beginning of the fourth quarter, Ohio State had built a 19-point advantage, jumping to a 63-44 lead. There wasn't much that the Vols could do to come back from the deficit and the Buckeyes picked up their first victory over a ranked opponent this season.
Along with Mikulasikova, McMahon (19 points), Sheldon (13 points) and Taylor (15 points) all ended the game in double-digits. For Taylor, not only was this a career-high with the Buckeyes, her 12 rebounds made it her first double-double with the team as well. As a whole, Ohio State out-rebounded Tennessee 17-9 on the offensive boards and forced 20 turnovers.
Ohio State will return to Columbus to face Ohio University on Tuesday, Dec. 5 to start a five-game home stretch.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: No. 16 Ohio State women's basketball beats No. 20 Tennessee
