Statement In Columbus
Ohio State wins the (current) game of the season over Iowa
There are about six weeks left in the Big Ten regular season, but it will be hard for any game to top what took place in Columbus, Ohio yesterday afternoon.
Last Week’s Hoopla:
Last week, as you can see from the headline above, Iowa appeared to show some distance from the rest of the Big Ten after a dominant home win against Indiana. If the Hawkeyes were able to defeat Ohio State, the other top three team in the conference, and do it on the road, Iowa’s path to a regular season crown would become crystal clear.
Instead, in a back-and-forth show of two teams playing exceptional basketball, it was the Buckeyes that took down the Hawkeyes 100-92 in overtime. It was Iowa’s first loss in conference play and second defeat all season.
Overtime and 192 total points between the teams is enough to show the type of game this was, but there were so many exciting moments and standout performances that made this one so special to watch. The sold out, historic size of the crowd also added excitement to every moment.
Game Rundown
A 26-24 first quarter set the tone for what this contest was going to be. Iowa held the two-point advantage, but the teams were never separated by more than four all quarter. There was a mix of excellent shotmaking from both teams, followed by a stretch at the end of the quarter filled primarily with turnovers and free throws.
The second quarter was more of the same. Iowa was in the lead for the bulk of the frame, but couldn’t pull away as Ohio State kept it close. Caitlin Clark had 20 first-half points, but Cotie McMahon (12 points) and Jacy Sheldon (eight) equalized her as the lead remained two points, 45-43.
Comparing Clark’s output to two players isn’t necessarily fair, but the way McMahon and Sheldon played the first half makes the comparison feel valid. Early in the half, it was McMahon that consistently got inside and got on the board — she had 11 first quarter points. Sheldon scored all eight of hers in the second quarter after going 0 for 4 with three turnovers in the first. Ohio State weathered various cold spells from its co-stars thanks to the ability of the other to step up when needed.
The third quarter was where it felt like the Hawkeyes would do what they have to so many teams before. While never gaining a double-digit lead, Iowa led throughout the third and felt like the team in command. Clark started the quarter with a pair of ridiculous threes — as she does — then Addison O’Grady and Sydney Affolter started to get involved, and the Hawkeyes led by as much as eight before taking a 65-58 advantage into the fourth.
This lead could have been double digits if not for Emma Shumate, who subbed in and hit a pair of threes in a 41-second span late in the quarter. Those six points kept the deficit manageable and, in my opinion, kept the belief up that Ohio State was not out of this game.
And yet, Iowa kept pushing. Clark hit yet another three — sixth on 12 attempts to this point — nine seconds into the fourth quarter to make it a 10-point lead. Less than a minute later, Molly Davis hit a bucket to make it 70-58. Ohio State called a timeout, and it felt like the Hawkeyes might just be putting it away.
Enter McMahon and Sheldon.
Over the next 4:42 of game time, Ohio State went on a 17-6 run to cut the deficit down to 1. While Iowa hit a total of two baskets from the field, the Buckeyes did this:
Cotie McMahon 2PT make
Cotie McMahon FT make
Cotie McMahon 2PT make
Jacy Sheldon 2PT make
Jacy Sheldon 2PT make
Jacy Sheldon 2PT make
Cotie McMahon FT make
Cotie McMahon FT make
Celeste Taylor miss, offensive rebound
Cotie McMahon 2PT make
Cotie McMahon 2PT make
In crunch time, down 12 against the No. 2 team in the country, McMahon and Sheldon went a combined 7 for 7 from the field, and McMahon hit all three of her free-throw attempts. A Taylor made jumper on the following possession upped it a 19-6 run and a one-point Ohio State lead.
Of course, Iowa came back with some offense of its own. Clark got to the rim and hit a pair of layups, and after free throw makes by both her and Taylor Thierry, it was 82-79 Hawkeyes with 1:21 remaining. Cue McMahon, who once again found a way to get to the rim and hit a tough layup to cut the lead to one.
She missed the and-one free throw, but Ohio State made up for it thanks to a beyond ridiculous finish by Taylor that put the Buckeyes up 83-82 with 16 seconds to go.
We got to overtime thanks to split free throws by Iowa’s Hannah Stuelke and, much like the Penn State game, Ohio State found a way to play its best basketball in the extra frame. McMahon started Ohio State’s first two offensive possessions with successful and-ones. Clark countered back with five points of her own to keep it a one-point game.
But Clark’s three-pointer with 2:20 to go would be the last field goal the Hawkeyes made. A back-breaking three by Rebeka Mikulasikova ballooned the Ohio State lead to six with 1:14 to play. Iowa could only get free throws the rest of the way, and the Buckeyes closed out the game to earn one of the biggest wins of the season.
My Takeaways
A game like this felt like it deserved a thorough rundown of what actually happened before I just start yapping. So much fun basketball occurred, and I was left with mostly positives to take away from both teams that are clearly among the best in the country when firing on all cylinders.
First off, McMahon and Sheldon. Sheldon finished with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting with 7 rebounds and 3 assists. All of her scoring came in the final three quarters (plus OT), where she was as precise and clutch as Ohio State needed her to be. That being said, McMahon has to be the story here. She has struggled through parts of this season, but came to play at exactly the right time for the Buckeyes.
McMahon finished with 33 points and 12 rebounds on 12-of-23 shooting. She was legitimately unstoppable in the fourth quarter and overtime. If she can play with this type of ferocity the rest of the season, Ohio State is going to be *so* difficult to slow down.
Celeste Taylor only had 10 points, but she made a few colossal baskets in that fourth quarter and was a true menace defensively, as she always is. Mikulasikova’s 10 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks were also significant. I’ve already touched on Shumate’s six points in five minutes of action, but Rikki Harris also played 21 key minutes for the Buckeyes. She hit a pair of threes, but also played some of the most impressive defense on Clark in the game. Her contributions for this roster have always been underrated, but they are pivotal.
As for Clark, she did what she could and scored 45 points in the loss. She shot a respectable 12 for 25 overall, 7 of 18 from three and made 14 of her 16 free throw attempts. Her seven turnovers were significant, and credit to Ohio State’s defense for causing most of them.
I also credit the Buckeyes for forcing Clark inside late in the game. For 31 minutes, Ohio State seemed to prefer letting Clark fire from deep, and instead tried limiting her ability to drive. After Clark’s sixth three early in the fourth, Ohio State really pressured her on the perimeter, and she went for the drives instead. It was small, but Clark only hit 1 of her final 6 three attempts, and that loss of quick points helped the Buckeyes overcome the 12-point deficit.
This game showed me that Ohio State, at its full power, can really be as good as we all thought it could be at the start of the season. The Buckeyes at their best are brutal defensively, menacing as cutters to the rim and do, in fact, possess solid shooting on the perimeter. Can this team consistently shoot 11 for 22 from three on a nightly basis? I don’t think so, but most of the other successes here feel replicable.
By the way, this win came four days after the Buckeyes went into College Park and handed Maryland its first home loss in over a year. It was quite a week for Kevin McGuff and co.
I feel I learned more about what Ohio State can do here than about what Iowa can’t. Teams will not consistently shoot 50 percent from deep against the Hawkeyes, and there are very few Cotie McMahon’s in the country to deal with. Still, contributions from the supporting cast will continue to be a key to watch for. Clark did not take half or close to half the shots this time (25 of 65), but still accounted for nearly half of Iowa’s points, as well as every Iowa point in overtime.
It was a tough game for Iowa’s main complimentary scorers: Kate Martin, Hannah Stuelke and Gabbie Marshall. That trio had 21 points on 8-of-24 shooting. Martin had five turnovers, and Stuelke was 2 of 5 from the free-throw line. It will be hard to beat teams of Ohio State’s caliber with those numbers.
On the other hand, Molly Davis (14 points, 8 assists, 6-7 FG, 1 turnover) continues to be sensational as of late, and Iowa looks great when she gets a little more control of the possessions. I’d like to see Davis get even more of a role in the final stretch of the season.
Two more thoughts not related to either team coming from this game:
The officiating. It wasn’t what I would call ideal, personally. It’s not a fun thing to complain about and I don’t like writing about it here, but there were some truly head-scratching calls throughout the game. In total, it led to 47 total fouls and 51 total free throws. It was such an excellent game, we simply didn’t need that!
Finally, let’s call it “the collision.” You probably know what I’m talking about, and if not, here is one angle of it. Clark and a Ohio State fan storming the court collided following Ohio State’s win. There are many angles of this hit and you are free to make your own opinions on what went down here from them. I’m choosing to make it a footnote here because that’s how I want it to be considered. The actual game was so spectacular and had so much to talk about that this feels silly to linger on. Clark said in the postgame she was fine. I’m going to leave it there.
What To Watch
The Big Ten continues to show how evenly spread out it is. Seven teams went 1-1 this week, and eight teams are currently sitting in the top 31 of the NET, the most of any conference.
That means there are a whole lot of good games on the way in these final six weeks. This week, it feels like the “M” teams are the protagonists of the conference:
Minnesota at Wisconsin, 1/23 (Tuesday), 9 p.m., BTN
Minnesota is on the road twice this week, both times in winnable matchups that also feel like real traps. Wisconsin has competed well at times this season, and Serah Williams has continued to dominate regardless.
Maryland at Michigan, 1/24 (Wednesday), 7 p.m., B1G+
This is such a huge week for both teams. Maryland has two road games against its fellow 4-3 Big Ten teams. While the Terps are more solidly in the NCAA Tournament for now, the Wolverines need to start picking up wins to feel secure there. This could go any way, but it’s a massive win for whoever gets it.
Michigan at Michigan State, 1/27 (Saturday), noon, B1G+
Echo everything said for Michigan above. Michigan State is 3-4 in the conference but had been close in every game prior to getting stuffed by Minnesota. A huge résumé boost is on the line in this one.
Maryland at Penn State, 1/28 (Sunday), 1 p.m., B1G+
***GAME OF THE WEEK*** for more reasons than one. Penn State is playing its best basketball, Maryland continues to show signs of rounding into form and Ashley Owusu gets to face off against her old team. I am upset this one has been relegated to B1G+.
Minnesota at Illinois, 1/28 (Sunday), 3 p.m., B1G+
Part two of Minnesota’s trap week. Illinois is below .500 on the season but is still a metrics darling that has eight losses by 11 points or less. A 2-0 week should launch Minnesota into top-8 seed talks for the NCAA Tournament, but a loss in either matchup keeps them right on the bubble.
Photo Credit: Ohio State WBB (@OhioStateWBB), Twitter/X
If you are interested in more Big Ten women’s basketball content like this, you can subscribe with the button at the top or bottom of the post, or share it with the button below. Thanks!