No. 7 Ohio State Dispatches IUPUI 108-58 For First Win Of The Season

Ohio State (1-1) picked up its first win of the season on Sunday, taking care of business in a 108-58 victory over visiting IUPUI at The Schottenstein Center.

The Buckeyes utilized a strong performance at the free-throw line, finishing 86.1 percent (31 of 36), and were stifling on the defensive end, forcing the Jaguars into 28 turnovers that Ohio State turned into 43 points.

After struggling from beyond the arc in the Buckeyes’ season-opening loss to USC, they made an effort to correct that early against IUPUI. Senior forward Rebeka Mikulášiková connected on her first three-point attempt of the game, and junior guard Taylor Thierry then made back-to-back shots – the first with her foot on the three-point line, and the second from beyond the arc – to give Ohio State an early 9-2 lead.

The Buckeyes later extended that lead to 17-7, but IUPUI forward Jazmyn Turner responded with five straight points to cut the deficit to 17-12. But with the Jaguars later trailing 22-14, things were made more difficult for IUPUI as it lost Turner, the team’s leading scorer last season, with 1:31 left in the first quarter after she suffered an apparent ankle injury and went to the locker room. She left the game with 7 points on 3-of-4 shooting and two rebounds.

Ohio State was boosted by eight makes from the free-throw line – three courtesy of guard Jacy Sheldon – and 10 turnovers by IUPUI to take a 24-16 lead into the second quarter.

In that second frame, the Buckeyes opened on a 14-2 run – predicated by five turnovers by the Jaguars in the first three minutes of the quarter – to take a 38-18 lead with 7:07 left in the half. The Buckeyes continued to bolster their lead by getting to the free-throw line, where it connected on 14 of 15 attempts in the quarter to lead 59-31 going into the half.

Sophomore forward Cotie McMahon had the busiest first half at the charity stripe, finishing with seven makes on nine attempts, and going into the locker room with 15 points.

The second half was much of the same for the Buckeyes, who outscored the Jaguars 49-27 over the final two quarters. Ohio State was afforded the opportunity to clear out the benches as well, with 13 players getting into the game all 13 scoring at least a point.

Ohio State was led by McMahon, who had 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while forward Taiyier Parks added a team-high five rebounds. Guard Taylor Thierry and Parks (12 points) and Sheldon and Celeste Taylor (11 points) also finished in double digits for the Buckeyes, who shot 53.7 percent from the field. IUPUI was led by guard Katie Davidson, who had 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting, including three makes from deep.

Ohio State will return to the court Thursday when it hosts Boston College for a 7 p.m. tip on Big Ten Plus.