No. 15 Ohio State held on for a 75-57 win over Oklahoma State in the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship on Wednesday, leaving The Bahamas with a pair of wins and moving to 4-1 on the season.
The Buckeyes, who led by as many as 16 points in the first half, saw that lead cut to just six points in the second half, but held on for the with behind strong performances from guards Jacy Sheldon and Taylor Thierry, as well as forward Cotie McMahon, and limiting Oklahoma State to just 33.3 percent shooting.
Ohio State opened on an 8-0 run – with six points courtesy of McMahon – and after an Oklahoma State basket, the Buckeyes took off on another dominant stretch, utilizing a 10-0 run to lead 18-2 with 5:16 left in the first quarter. The Cowgirls began to find a scoring rhythm, however, closing on an 11-6 run to make it 24-13 entering the second quarter.
After shooting just 29.4 percent in the first quarter, Oklahoma State opened the second frame on a 9-3 run to cut the deficit to just 27-22 with 6:17 left in the quarter. Thierry responded with a layup following a steal by Sheldon, and Sheldon later scored a basket of her own following another turnover. The Cowgirls again cut the deficit to just five points, 33-28, but Ohio State junior guard Emma Shumate got on the board with a three-pointer before a late basket by Oklahoma State made it 36-30 at the half.
Ohio State saw McMahon and Sheldon reach double digits in the first half as the Buckeyes shot 40.0 percent from the field while holding Oklahoma State to just 31.6 percent shooting, as well as just a 1 of 11 clip from deep.
After a late push by Oklahoma State in the first half, the Buckeyes came out strong in the second, opening the third quarter on a 10-2 run – capped by another triple from Shumate – that pushed the lead to 46-32 with 5:44 left in the frame. The teams continued trading field goals until a triple from Oklahoma State guard Quincy Noble made it 48-42, but as the Buckeyes had all night, they responded with a three-pointer – this time by Sheldon – to make it 51-42 with 1:22 left in the frame before leading 54-44 going in the fourth.
The Buckeyes saw their lead cut to as few as eight points when Oklahoma State made it 56-48 with 7:58 left in the game, but that was the closest the Cowgirls would get for the rest of the contest. Ohio State, behind nine fourth-quarter points from Sheldon, increased the lead to as many as 19 points before closing out the contest.
Ohio State was led in the win by Sheldon, who had 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting and had five assists. Thierry (16 points) and McMahon (14 points) also reached double digits, with Thierry notching a double-double with 14 rebounds. Oklahoma State was led by guard Stailee Heard, who had 15 points.
Neither team shot particularly well on the evening, with the Cowgirls shooting just 33.3 percent (22 of 66) from the field and 12.5 percent (3 of 24) from deep, while the Buckeyes were 42.6 percent (29 of 68) from the field and 18.5 percent (5 of 27) from deep.
