Led by junior guard Jacy Sheldon and her career-high 31 points, everything looked easy for Ohio State in its 110-58 win over Bellarmine on Nov. 23 to move to 4-0 on the season.
As the Buckeyes have often done this season, things got off to a fast start as Sheldon knocked down a three on Ohio State’s first possession, and then forced a turnover and scored in transition. Just a minute later, another fastbreak basket for Sheldon gave Ohio State a 7-0 lead, all courtesy of the Dublin, Ohio, product.
Junior forward Rebeka Mikulasikova then scored the next nine points for the Buckeyes on three baskets in the paint and a made three-pointer, her first of the season, to give Ohio State a 16-4 lead.
Though the Buckeyes finished the quarter up 31-21, the Knights scored seven early points in the second quarter to make it 33-28. Ohio State squashed the short-lived rebellion, however, taking advantage of two Knight turnovers to score six points in just 22 seconds to make it 39-28.
With 6:08 remaining in the second quarter, a three-pointer by Sheldon kicked off an astonishing 33-0 run that lasted until 8:04 remaining in the third.
Sheldon scored 13 of Ohio State’s points during the run, joined by senior guard Taylor Mikesell with 11 points (including three three-pointers) and graduate forward Tanaya Beacham with four points. Sophomore guard Kateri Poole also contributed a pair of baskets during the run that went into the locker room with a 70-33 lead for Ohio State.
While Ohio State’s offense slowed down in the third quarter, at least relative to the offensive explosion in the first half, the Buckeyes still scored 25 points in the third to make it 95-46 heading into the final frame.
Head coach Kevin McGuff continued clearing the benches out in the fourth as every available player took the court against Bellarmine, with 10 players scoring. In total, the Buckeyes scored 15 points in the fourth to make the final 110-58.
The 110 points scored by Ohio State was its most since a 113-54 win over LIU Brooklyn on Nov. 19, 2016.
Sheldon led all scorers with 31 points on 12-of-15 shooting, surpassing her career-high of 29 points in a 75-66 loss at Michigan on Feb. 21, 2021. She also finished with three rebounds, three steals and two assists in the win. Jaela Johnson led the Knights with 24 points.
Mikesell scored 18 on 6-of-9 shooting, including 4 of 6 from beyond the arc, while Milkulasikova contributed 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
Mikulasikova and freshman Taylor Thierry led Ohio State with six rebounds each. While senior guard Braxtin Miller finished with just four points, she led the Buckeyes with five assists.
The Buckeyes finished a crisp 56.6 percent from the field on 43-of-76 shooting, including 10 of 21 from beyond the arc. Bellarmine, meanwhile, was 23 of 61 (37.7 percent) from the field.
Ohio State will take the court next at the Coveli Center on Saturday as the Buckeyes host Cincinnati (3-2) at 6 p.m.
