No. 12 Ohio State (8-1, 1-0 Big Ten) overcame a 13-point second-half deficit and overtime in a 94-84 win over No. 25 Penn State (7-3, 0-1) on Sunday in Value City Arena.
The Buckeyes trailed 53-40 just one possession into the third quarter but outscored Penn State 54-34 the rest of the way – including a 14-4 run in overtime – to begin Big Ten play with a win, and continue an eight-game winning streak.
While the teams finished shooting 48.4 percent from the field for Ohio State and 48.5 percent for Penn State, it was not evident early on that a track meet would break out. The Buckeyes missed on five of their first six shots and the Nittany Lions did not score until there was 6:08 left in the first quarter, and eventually tied the game up at at 7-7 following a three-pointer by senior guard Makenna Marisa.
The Buckeyes then scored on three consecutive possessions to go up 13-7, at which point redshirt senior guard Madison Greene – who missed the majority of last season with a knee injury – checked in for the first time this season with 3:38 left in the frame. The teams continued battling until another three-pointer from Marisa kickstarted a furious scoring run over the last two minutes – including six made field goals – that led to a 26-26 tie entering the second quarter.
In the first quarter, both Ohio State fifth-year guard Jacy Sheldon and Marisa reached 10 points, while the officials called a combined 17 fouls in the frame that led to 17 free-throw attempts – 8 of 11 for the Buckeyes and 4 of 6 for the Nittany Lions.
Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff was forced to call a quick timeout after Penn State opened on a 7-0 run to begin the second. Out of the break, fifth-year guard Celeste Taylor broke the run with a three-pointer, but the Nittany Lions responded with an 8-0 run – including two triples – to take a 41-29 lead with 6:33 left in the half, requiring another timeout from McGuff.
Things went better for the Buckeyes out of that break, as they embarked on a 9-1 run to cut the deficit to 42-38 with 4:16 left in the second. But Penn State then held Ohio State scoreless for nearly the remainder of the half, with a layup from sophomore forward Cotie McMahon the Buckeyes’ only points in the final four minutes as the Nittany Lions took a 50-40 lead into the locker room. In the first half, Marisa led Penn State with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while the Nittany Lions were 7 of 9 from deep compared to just 2 of 12 for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State’s difficulty in defending the three continued into the third, as Penn State guard Shay Ciezki hit a triple on the Nittany Lions’ first possession of the half to go up 53-40. The Buckeyes kept pace throughout the quarter, and after trailing 61-51 with 3:17 left, took off on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to just 61-59 with 1:55 left in the frame. Penn State responded with another triple, however, and eventually led 68-61 entering the fourth.
After trailing since the beginning of the second quarter, Ohio State was able to retake the lead after starting the final frame off with a 10-0 run – including triple by Sheldon and fifth-year forward Rebeka Mikulasikova – to take a 69-68 lead with 6:23 left. After trading the lead three times, Marisa completed an and-one play following a foul by McMahon that gave the Nittany Lions a 76-75 lead with 2:03 remaining.
McMahon was then able to get to the line herself and hit a pair of free throws to regain a 77-76 lead, and on Ohio State’s next possession, Taylor connected from downtown to make it 80-76 with just 44 seconds remaining. Marisa then scored on the ensuing possession for the Nittany Lions, and they tied the game after a steal by forward Chanaya Pinto and layup by guard Taylor Valladay with just 11 seconds left to send the game to overtime.
But after being down for most of the contest, Ohio State dominated the extra period, outscoring Penn State 14-4 over the final five minutes of play to secure the win, with McMahon and Sheldon combining for the entire overtime scoring output.
Sheldon and McMahon led the Buckeyes with 31 and 27 points, respectively, while Taylor also reached double digits with 13 points and added a game-high 11 rebounds. Marisa had a team-high 28 points for the Nittany Lions on 11-of-21 shooting, and was 3 off 6 from deep.
Ohio State will take the floor next on Friday, set to host Grand Valley State at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
