Freshman guard Kelsey Mitchell (3) dribbles the ball during a game against Minnesota on Jan. 15 at the Schottenstein Center. OSU lost, 76-72.
Credit: Mark Batke / Photo editor
The Purdue Boilermakers were even with the Ohio State women’s basketball team for 40 minutes, but the Buckeyes hit the road back to Columbus with a win.
OSU escaped West Lafayette, Ind., with a 79-71 win in overtime behind a game-high 37 points from freshman guard Kelsey Mitchell on Sunday.
The win was the Buckeyes’ second in a row as OSU improved to 13-7 overall and 5-3 in Big Ten play.
After a loss to Minnesota on Jan. 15, McGuff had stressed the need for OSU to find a second scorer to back up the play of Mitchell, who leads the country in scoring. Sophomore forward Shayla Cooper came off the bench to fuel the fire and score 15 points. Junior guard Ameryst Alston added 13 more for OSU who needed every bucket to keep up with Purdue’s scoring attack.
OSU outscored Purdue, 15-7, in overtime. After Purdue cut the lead within four in the final minute, Mitchell made two free throws with 28 seconds to go, followed by a Cooper layup as time expired to seal the deal for the Scarlet and Gray.
Redshirt-senior Whitney Bays led the Boilermakers with 22 points and a game-high 19 rebounds. Alexa Hart led the Buckeyes on the boards, bringing in 12 rebounds.
OSU is set to travel to Madison, Wis., on Thursday to battle the Wisconsin Badgers. Tip is scheduled for 9 p.m.
