LAS VEGAS – The No. 7/6 Ohio State Buckeyes (0-1) started the season with an 83-74 loss against No. 21/21 USC (1-0) on Monday in the Hall of Fame Series, hosted at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Ohio State scored first and held the 18-15 advantage after 10 minutes of play. USC responded with a strong second quarter to take a 46-28 lead into the locker room. The Buckeyes used runs of 10 and 12 points to outscore the Trojans 30-10 in the third quarter and take a 58-56 lead into the final quarter. USC regained the lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter and earned the 83-74 win.
Jacy Sheldon was the first Buckeye to reach double figures, doing so in the third quarter and finishing with 28 points. Taylor Thierry also recorded double figures by scoring 10 points in the third quarter and totaled 16 points, also leading the team with eight rebounds. The Buckeye defense forced 20 turnovers and had 10 steals.
How it Happened
Rebeka Mikulášiková opened scoring with a move in the paint before USC took its first lead of the game with back-to-back baskets. Ohio State made a pair of three-pointers to take an 11-6 lead with 5:47 to play in the opening quarter and led 11-9 at the media timeout. Celeste Taylor scored the next five Buckeye points as OSU led 16-9 with three minutes remaining and closed the quarter with the 18-15 advantage.
USC scored first in the second quarter and used a 5-0 run to take the lead at 22-20 just two minutes into the quarter. The Trojans extended their run to 13-0 to build a 30-20 lead midway through the quarter. Rikki Harris made a three-pointer to get Ohio State back on the board, but the Trojans extended their lead to 46-28 at halftime.
The teams traded baskets to open the second half before the Buckeyes strung together 10 unanswered points over three minutes to cut their deficit to 53-44 with just under four minutes to play in the third quarter. A pair of Buckeye layups forced a USC timeout as the score was 55-48 with 2:33 remaining in the quarter. Ohio State put together a 12-0 run to take the 56-55 lead on a three-point play from Sheldon with 21 seconds to play in the third and led 58-56 after 30 minutes.
USC scored back-to-back baskets to regain the lead to start the fourth quarter before Sheldon tied the score at 60. The Trojans used a 6-0 run to take a 69-62 lead with 6:35 to play, prompting a Buckeye time-out. The teams traded points as Ohio State called timeout trailing 78-70 with 1:33 remaining and was down 78-72 with under a minute to play. The game wrapped up with free throws, capping scoring at 83-74.
Game Notes
- Ohio State’s defense forced 20 turnovers and totaled 10 steals.
- Jacy Sheldon was the first Buckeye to reach double figures, doing so for the 78th time in her career. She finished with 28 points, the 27th 20 point game of her career.
- Taylor Thierry scored in double figures for the 28th time in her Buckeye career and totaled 16 points today. She also led the Buckeyes with eight rebounds.
- Diana Collins scored in her collegiate debut.
- Q1: Ohio State was 4-of-10 in the opening quarter from long range.
- Q3: The Buckeyes shot 52 percent from the field as they used runs of 10 and 12 unanswered points to outscore the Trojans 30-10 in the quarter. The OSU defense did not allow a field goal in the final seven minutes of the quarter and forced 10 turnovers in the quarter.
What They Said
- Head Coach Kevin McGuff:
- “I told the team in the locker room that I think when we watch the film we’ll be satisfied with the opportunities we got on offense but we have to take advantage of those.”
Up Next
The Buckeyes host IUPUI on Sunday at 1 pm for family day. The first 1,000 fans will receive a free Elite Eight T-shirt. There will be a meet and greet with the team after the game. A four-pack ticket offer is available for this game only, starting at $40 (service charges may apply).
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 [email protected].
Ticket links:
Tags: Ohio State Falls ToughFought Season Opener USC Las Vegas
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