Senior guard Taylor Mikesell (24) shoots the ball during the Ohio State-Indiana game Dec. 12, 2021. Ohio State lost 66-86. Credit: Gabe Haferman | Assistant Photo Editor
Following a blowout loss to rival Michigan Dec. 31, Ohio State women’s basketball needed a spark to get back on track against Illinois and that came from senior guard Taylor Mikesell.
The Massillon, Ohio, native put up a career-high 32 points while shooting 57 percent from 3-point range to lift the Buckeyes (10-3, 2-2 Big Ten) past Illinois (5-8, 0-2 Big Ten) 90-69 at the Schottenstein Center Thursday.
Ohio State fell behind early, allowing the Illini to take an 18-17 lead into the first quarter break — but Mikesell kept the Buckeyes in it during the first 10 minutes. She scored nine of Ohio State’s 17 first quarter points while hitting 3-of-4 3-point attempts.
The Buckeyes dominated the Fighting Illini in the middle quarters, utilizing frames two and three to outscore them 58-30 — with 23 coming off 19 turnovers. Illinois committed a season-high 28 turnovers.
Despite trailing by 27 heading into the final frame, Illinois mounted a comeback early in the fourth quarter behind a 14-0 run over a four-minute, eight-second span, but Mikesell regained her stroke to end the stretch with her eighth 3-pointer of the game — tying the second-most single-game makes from downtown in Buckeyes program history.
Ohio State closed the game on an 11-5 run in just over the final 3 1/2 minutes to preserve the 21-point victory.
Mikesell’s efforts were supported by redshirt sophomore guard Rikki Harris and graduate forward Tanaya Beacham, who each added 15 points on a combined 11-for-18 shooting from the field. Junior guard Jacy Sheldon provided 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting alongside a game-high six assists.
Illinois was led by a pair of double-digit scorers in junior guard De’Myla Brown and sophomore forward Kendall Bostic, who added 13 and 11 points, respectively. Although Brown led the Illini in scoring, she struggled to do it efficiently — shooting 3-for-17 from the field.
The Illini could not match Ohio State’s 46 percent 3-point shooting, making just four of their 22 attempts on the night, failing to reach the 34.2-percent clip it entered with Thursday.
Although the Buckeyes dominated in nearly all facets Thursday, Illinois held firm on the glass — out rebounding Ohio State 48-33. Bostic, the Big Ten’s leading rebounder, continued her prowess on the glass, pulling down a game-high 16 boards — her ninth game of the season with double-digit rebounds.
Despite securing eight more offensive boards than the Buckeyes, Illinois produced just 15 second-chance points compared to Ohio State’s 21.
The Buckeyes return to action Sunday when they travel to Evanston, Illinois, to play Northwestern with tip-off set for 3 p.m. The game will be streamed on BTN+.
