No. 2 Ohio State women’s basketball wins outright B1G title, defeats Michigan 67-51

The mission for Ohio State women’s basketball Wednesday night was simple: Beat the Michigan Wolverines and lock up an outright Big Ten regular season title. Those Wolverines, the only team to beat the Buckeyes on the conference calendar, had a goal themselves, to strengthen its resume for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Ohio State avenged its Dec. 30 loss to the Wolverines, locking up its 16th conference title and ninth outright title, beating Michigan 67-51.

Right out of the gate, which was again delayed by leftover confetti from last week’s Drake concert, Ohio State pushed its agenda.

After winning the tip, the Buckeyes got out to a quick 4-0 lead, until Michigan forward Elissa Brett poked the ball out of the hands of forward Rebeka Mikulášiková, going on the fast break. As the Maize and Blue forward went up for what she thought was an easy layup, Ohio State guard Celeste Taylor swatted the ball out of bounds. A moment foreshadowing the rest of the evening.

Michigan responded offensively, and both teams took turns making baskets.

Adding to the highlights of the first quarter, guard Jacy Sheldon showed the hustle that’s made her a fan favorite for five seasons. Off a missed corner three-point shot, Sheldon ran up to knock the ball out of a Michigan rebounder’s hands, leap out of bounds to save the ball from going out and getting it to the hands of forward Taylor Thierry who hit a reverse layup under the basket.

In the final five minutes of the quarter, the fast offensive start of the game slowed a bit, with both teams combining for three total baskets. Of the three, Ohio State hit two, taking a 13-9 lead into the second quarter. Although foul trouble showed its head.

Receiving the fouls weren’t any Buckeye starters, but two role-players off the bench. Guard Rikki Harris and forward Taiyier Parks each picked up two fouls in three minutes on the court. The latter was worrying for Ohio State with forward Eboni Walker listed as out for the game, and not in the arena.

The Buckeyes started separating themselves from the visiting rivals in the second quarter. Michigan hit only one of its first six shots of the period, giving away four quick turnovers. Offensively, Ohio State was exploiting its recent form from beyond the arc. Leveraging five players who are capable of shooting from deep, once Wolverine defenders closed in, the Buckeyes didn’t shoot or pass. Instead, they ran to the basket.

Ohio State increased its first half lead to nearly double-digits, but Michigan fought back. Out of the second quarter media timeout, the Wolverines went on a 10-point run, turning an eight-point deficit into a two-point lead.

During the pendulum swing in the visitor’s favor, Ohio State missed all four of its attempted shots and gave the ball away three times before head coach Kevin McGuff called a timeout. A timeout 48.8 seconds away from halftime to send a message to his team.

“We got to get it together,” said McGuff. “It was kind of like a precursor to what we were going to talk about in the half, that we were just not playing at a level that was acceptable and anywhere near where we’re capable of playing.”

Out of the timeout, forward Cotie McMahon hit a layup to tie the game, and that's where things stood entering halftime, locked at 22-22.

The Wolverines made shooting difficult in the second quarter. Outside of forcing six turnovers from the Buckeyes, the Michigan defense didn’t give anyone space when they took the ball into the paint, making Ohio State shoot midrange and long-range attempts. The 4-for-13 shooting performance let the Wolverines flip the first quarter score, outscoring the Scarlet and Gray 13-9.

Hurting the Buckeyes defensively was the play of Wolverines bench forward Cameron Williams. The forward hurt Ohio State in the paint, leading the visitors with six points. In the second half. Williams returned to the game and the Buckeyes showed halftime adjustments.

When Williams got the ball, a second Ohio State player joined to defend, making Williams either take a tough shot or find a teammate for something outside of the paint. Also, the physical forward Parks played nine of her 13 minutes in the second half. In that half, Williams scored only once.

Improved defense and forcing three turnovers in the first two and a half minutes of the second half put the home side back on top, starting the quarter with six unanswered points.

Also, Sheldon found a deep shooting stroke. Hitting two in the first half of the third quarter put the Buckeyes back up seven with a quarter and a half remaining sitting between Ohio State and a title celebration at home.

Michigan hoped for a similar swing in their direction following a timeout, but it continued to be the Buckeyes turning the screw. McMahon hit a layup on the inbound pass, with Taylor following up with her first made three-point shot of the game. That three put Ohio State up double-digits for the first time. By the time the 10-point Buckeyes run was over, the home side had a 14-point lead on the Maize and Blue.

The visitors almost cut the lead back down to 10 quickly, if not for a tough moment for Michigan’s Lauren Hansen. Intercepting the pass and going on a clear fast break, Hansen went up for a layup that rolled off the rim, into the hands of Sheldon who was fouled in the process.

That gave the home side the bonus for the remaining 2:38 of the quarter. The Wolverines kept the chess game going, making its own moves to right the ship. How they did it was by getting passes to the basket and then finding open guards on the wing.

Ohio State gave up a three-point shot to cut its lead to nine points, seemingly ending the quarter. With two seconds remaining though, Harris poked the ball away on the Wolverines inbound, which got to Sheldon and the graduate senior hit a layup right before the sound of the buzzer. It gave the Buckeyes an 11-point lead with 10 minutes remaining. A lead it wouldn’t relent.

In the fourth, the defensive pressure continued for the home side. In the first two minutes, Ohio State forced two more turnovers, up to 22 with eight minutes remaining of the game. The Buckeyes turned those turnovers into six of the first eight points scored in the quarter. It increased Coach McGuff’s side’s lead to 15 points.

The Buckeyes eventually helped the Wolverines hit a new season record in turnovers, and Ohio State kept forcing them. Turnovers continued to go the Buckeyes’ way but fouls loomed over its presence in the paint.

Issues with keeping a forward in the game became real with Parks and Mikulášiková each earning four fouls with half the fourth quarter remaining. Plus, a Parks foul was Ohio State’s fifth, putting Michigan in the bonus.

Even with the extra trips to the line, the Buckeyes held onto its lead, and with it the outright Big Ten regular season championship, 67-51.

Leading the way for Coach McGuff was Sheldon. Playing her final regular season game at home, the guard scored a team high 22 points, including four shots from deep.

Non-Drake Confetti

Following the game, as fireworks popped inside the stadium, and scarlet and gray confetti shot through the air, the Buckeyes celebrated on the court with coaches and family. Each player taking a turn climbing up the ladder to cut down a piece of the net. At the end, Coach McGuff cutting the entire net down and swinging it around, exciting the crowd of over a thousand who stuck around to watch the celebrations.

McMahon and Sheldon Excellence

Against Michigan on Dec. 30, Sheldon and McMahon scored a combined 12 points in the 69-60 win over the Wolverines. Wednesday night, the pair accounted for 40 of the Buckeyes’ 67 points.

Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

It was a far cry from the performance that left the Scarlet and Gray soul searching at the end of the 2023 calendar. Now, 15 games later, the Buckeyes lift a regular season title thanks to not only the star pair, but a game where seemingly every Ohio State player who saw the court left an impact.

No Dub Chain Winner

After celebrating on the court for over 30 minutes, Ohio State regrouped in the locker room. In the usual tradition of awarding a “dub chain” performance after each win, McGuff changed things around, applauding that team performance.

Still Not at its Peak

In the last 15 games, the Buckeyes beat everyone in its path. That includes ranked teams like the Iowa Hawkeyes and Indiana Hoosiers, and multiple games against teams in the top half of the standings, like the Michigan State Spartans and Maryland Terrapins.

For all the success and accolades given to the side, Sheldon said something after the game that should scare some opponents.

“I don’t even think we’ve played our best 40 minutes yet, which is pretty exciting.”

Eboni Walker Absence

The graduate senior forward wasn’t on the bench for the end of Ohio State’s win over the Maryland Terrapins on Sunday, after playing the last two minutes of the third quarter. That absence continued Wednesday night, when Walker was listed as “out” on the availability report and wasn’t seen on the bench for the Buckeyes.

After the game, Coach McGuff addressed her absence.

“She’s currently away from the team. There’s no certainty about her status moving forward.”

A response without specificity, but still carries weight on the chances of Walker returning to the court this season.

What’s Next

The Buckeyes have one more game left of the regular season, and it’s a big one. Coach McGuff’s side travels to Iowa City, Iowa to face the No. 6 Iowa Hawkeyes. Last time out, the Scarlet and Gray welcomed the Hawkeyes to the Schottenstein Center and came back from 12 points down to defeat Iowa 100-92.