No. 12 Ohio State (7-1) had a dominant home victory over the visiting, in-state Ohio Bobcats (2-4) on Tuesday, cruising to a 85-45 win at Value City Arena behind a career-high 22 points from guard Emma Shumate.
The Buckeyes shot the lights out against the Bobcats, connecting on 47.1 percent of their attempts from the floor and hitting 43.8 percent from deep in the first half, including six total makes by Shumate.
Neither team presented much interest in scoring in the early stages of the game, however, as Ohio State led just 4-3 with 4:58 left in the first quarter. To that point, each team was 1 of 7 from the field, with each make coming from deep.
The Buckeyes’ continued to play well on the defensive end coming out of the break but finally found on a groove on the offensive end, with sophomore forward Cotie McMahon scoring back-to-back baskets. Those scores began a 12-0 run coming out of the timeout – with junior guard Taylor Thierry adding six points during the stretch – to take a 16-3 lead with just 54 seconds left in the quarter, but the Bobcats did add a triple in the closing minute to make it 16-6 going into the second frame.
Fifth-year forward Rebeka Mikulasikova added her second triple of the game to begin the second quarter. It was answered by another three-pointer by the Bobcats, but Ohio State responded with a 10-0 run – with five points come from Mikulasikova – to go up 29-9 with 5:49 left in the half.
The Bobcats got their first points in the paint with 5:14 left in the second quarter, but Ohio State – or more aptly, Shumate – responded with three consecutive three-pointers to put Ohio State up 38-11 with 2:21 left in the half, and added another for good measure to help give the Buckeyes a 42-13 lead going into the locker room.
In the first half, Ohio State shot 47.1 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from deep while holding the Bobcats to 19.2 percent shooting from the field. The Buckeyes also forced 17 turnovers that resulted in 23 points.
Ohio University began showing some life in the third quarter, outscoring the Buckeyes 24-16 in the frame to cut the deficit to 66-20 entering the fourth. During the third, the Bobcats shot 54.5 percent from the field while Ohio State shot just 37.5 percent, and was 2 of 8 from beyond the arc.
Ohio State was able to clear out the benches in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Bobcats 19-16 for the final margin as 10 Buckeyes scored in the win.
Shumate led the Buckeyes with 22 points – a new career high – while Thierry (15 points), McMahon (14 points) and Mikulasikova (13 points) also finished in double digits, with each providing a team-high seven rebounds. Ohio guard Jaya McClure led the Bobcats with nine points on 3-of-0 shooting.
Ohio State will stay home on Dec. 10, hosting Penn State at 1 p.m. on Big Ten Plus.
