Ohio State sophomore guard Madison Greene (0) moves the ball down the court during the Ohio State-Miami game on Dec. 10. Ohio State won 104-65. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
It had been 24 days since the Buckeyes last took the court, but despite lost time and a depleted roster, they were able to continue their winning ways Monday.
COVID-19 within the program forced the women’s basketball team to pause activities Dec. 15. In its return to the court, No. 16 Ohio State (5-0) downed Penn State (3-4) despite the absence of key pieces in a score of 82-69.
“I was really proud of our effort, I thought we played really hard,” Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff said. “I told them afterwards that I really loved the effort.”
The Buckeyes were without leading scorer and junior forward Dorka Juhasz, as graduate forward Tanaya Beacham filled in for the Hungarian star in the starting lineup.
Beacham impressed in the relief role, finishing the game with 8 points and 7 rebounds.
Along with Juhasz, the Buckeyes were missing key bench players in sophomore forward Rebeka Mikulasikova and redshirt freshman guard Rikki Harris.
Due to the depleted bench, the Nittany Lions held a 23-10 advantage in bench scoring.
Sophomore guard Madison Greene found her groove in the second quarter — scoring 14 of her season-high 24 points in the second frame. Greene hit her first six shots on the night.
Outside of her scoring, Greene also led the team in assists with 5 and rebounds with 10 — despite standing at just 5-foot-8.
McGuff pointed to Greene’s rebounding as a key aspect in allowing the Buckeyes to get into their transition offense.
“We can really initiate the break very quickly and she can get the ball going up,” McGuff said. “I think she did a great job. When she got a rebound, she really got us going in transition and we got some easy baskets because of it.”
Despite the long break between games, sophomore guard Jacy Sheldon continued her hot start to the season.
The Dublin, Ohio native provided 21 points on 8-of-19 from the field while providing help on the defensive end with 2 blocks and a steal.
“I felt like she did a great job tonight,” Greene said. “Not everything was falling but she kept shooting and that’s what we expect from her — just to keep making plays — and even if she wasn’t doing something on offense, she was doing something on defense or getting rebounds.”
One of Penn State’s bright spots was graduate guard Kelly Jekot who finished the game with 19 points — 12 of which came in the second quarter. She also finished with 6 rebounds.
Sophomore guard Makenna Marisa provided a lift as she tallied 21 points and 9 rebounds.
It was the Ohio State defense that got the Buckeyes back in a rhythm Monday. The Buckeyes held Penn State to 35.1-percent shooting in the first half and 41.2 percent for the game.
The Nittany Lions also shot themselves in the foot from the foul line, shooting an ice cold 43.8 percent as a team from the charity stripe.
On the contrary, Ohio State’s time off did not result in an inability to knock down shots. The Buckeyes connected on 56.3 percent of its shots in the opening 20 minutes.
However, they cooled off in the second half and finished at 44.3-percent from the field. The decline in shooting paired with a Nittany Lions run resulted in the lead dwindling to as few as 7 points in the second half, but the Buckeyes would hold on to win.
McGuff said he told his team that the game would not be an extension of the last time the Buckeyes took the court and that it would not always be easy.
“The thing I really focused on the most was don’t expect it to be perfect. Don’t expect it to be the way it was the last time we played,” McGuff said. “Just play really hard, play together and continue to fight through whatever comes at us.”
Ohio State travels to Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, to take on the Illini Thursday at 7 p.m.
