Senior guard Chance Gray (2) gets a shot off despite a close contest on Wednesday’s matchup against Kent State. The Buckeyes defeated Kent State 88-68, where Gray went for 18 points. Credit: Cassandra D’Angelo
For nearly twenty minutes Wednesday night, the Ohio State women’s basketball team looked nothing like the team it believes it can become.
After ending the first quarter with a six-point lead, the Buckeyes had “what head coach Kevin McGuff called “another second quarter we can’t afford to have.” Ohio State had no answer for the Golden Flashes’ offensive attack, as they shot 71% from the floor to turn that six-point deficit into one at the buzzer.
At halftime, Ohio State led 36-35, allowing Kent State to shoot 72% in the second quarter and convert the Buckeyes’ mistakes into rhythm. McGuff didn’t hide his frustration.
“We didn’t play well in the second quarter,” he said. “They made us pay. If we’re going to get closer to who we’re capable of being, we’ve got to get a lot more consistency.”
Then the third quarter arrived and everything changed.
Ohio State’s defense clamped down, allowing Kent State to score just three baskets while guard Chance Gray took over, scoring 10 points in the quarter. The Buckeyes would comfortably control the rest of the game to hold on to beat Kent State 88-68 to get back on track after Sunday’s loss to UConn and advance to 3-1.
Here are three takeaways from the win.
Buckeyes’ second-half push
With sophomore Elsa Lemmilä sidelined by a “lower leg” issue, Ohio State opened the game in a smaller lineup and struggled to keep Kent State from dictating tempo. Junior guard Mya Babbitt of Kent State took advantage, scoring 18 points by halftime, and the Buckeyes looked disconnected on both sides of the ball.
But inside the locker room, Gray kept the message simple.
“Just stay poised, don’t panic,” Gray said. “We just have to play to our best ability. I don’t think we were playing as hard as we could have been in the first half.”
That advice would hold true.
The Buckeyes forced eight turnovers in the third quarter, leading to nine fast-break points, on their way to an 11-2 run that would be the turning point of the game.
Gray would lead the Buckeyes with 18 points and four assists.
Kitts steps in for Lemmilä
Without Elsa, freshman Kylee Kitts became Ohio State’s interior anchor, a role she usually doesn’t hold.
“I normally don’t guard the five, so it was a bit different,” Kitts said. “But we needed to get more offensive and defensive rebounds to get the game in a better flow.”
After picking up early fouls, Kitts responded with one of the most critical stretches of the night. After a burst of offensive rebounds and put-backs helped spark the third-quarter surge, she finished with eight points and four rebounds, but her impact didn’t fully show in the box score.
“She’s got a great basketball IQ,” McGuff said. “She’s in the right spot at the right time. She’s only going to continue to get better.”
Glimpses of who the Buckeyes can be
Even in a 20-point win, the Buckeyes weren’t satisfied.
“It’s good that we can talk about some things and come out and execute them in a better manner in the second half,” McGuff said. “But we’re going to leave ourselves very vulnerable if we keep having these second quarters like we’ve had recently.”
Gray echoed her coach’s urgency.
“We just have to play the way we know we can play,” she said. “Once we do that for a full game, we’ll be fine.”
Ohio State heads to the Bahamas next to face Belmont, a team McGuff called “really good” and fully capable of punishing inconsistency.
