Superstar Caitlin Clark Not Enough as Ohio State Upsets No. 2 Iowa
In front of a record-breaking 18,660 at Value City Arena Sunday, the No. 18 Ohio State Buckeyes upset the No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes 100-92 in overtime behind 33 points from Buckeye sophomore forward Cotie McMahon.
The teams last met in the Big Ten Tournament Championship game last season, when Iowa dismantled the strong Ohio State defense 105-72, behind a triple-double from Clark.
McMahon led the scoring for the Buckeyes in the first quarter with a quick 11. She stayed aggressive and kept attacking all quarter. However, McMahon didn’t distribute the ball much in the first half, leading to several wasted possessions in the paint.
Clark started off hot, hitting three 3-pointers from the left corner, all off of one foot, silencing the loud crowd.
The Hawkeyes cut and used off-ball screens very well in the first half. Graduate guard Kate Martin hit two threes in the second and finished with eight points in the first half.
Ohio State also shot the ball well from beyond the arc in the first half — against an aggressive, paint-protecting 1-3-1 Iowa defense, the Buckeyes shot 6-7 from the left corner 3, which the Hawkeyes left open almost the entire first half.
Senior guards Rikki Harris and Jacy Sheldon were the main contributors from downtown, finishing the half with six and eight points, respectively.
The Buckeyes played good perimeter defense but were unable to stop drives from the Hawkeyes, who had 18 points in the paint in the first.
Both teams came out of the locker room firing. Clark hit back-to-back 3s but the Buckeyes responded well, as Sheldon came out with a jumper of her own and a fastbreak layup.
However, sophomore guard Emma Shumate checked in for the first time in the third and hit back-to-back 3s of her own within 30 seconds, providing the Buckeyes with a much-needed spark on offense.
The Buckeyes cracked down on defense down the stretch, forcing turnovers and turning them into transition buckets. Sheldon and McMahon led the Buckeyes on a 17-6 run in the fourth to keep the Buckeyes in it. The two combined for 19 final-quarter points.
It was a back-and-forth battle to end the fourth and Ohio State took its first lead since the opening quarter with under four minutes remaining in regulation
Senior Buckeye guard Celeste Taylor took the lead with 16 seconds remaining on a layup but Iowa's Hannah Stuelke tied the game with 10.7 seconds left at 83 to force overtime.
However, it was McMahon who came up clutch for the Buckeyes in the extra period. She stayed aggressive, attacking the paint with her nifty spin move and finished with 33 points and 12 rebounds.
Sheldon’s tough defense and transition buckets complemented McMahon, as she finished 24 points herself.
Ohio State returns to action Thursday against Illinois in Champaign, at 7 p.m. ET streaming on Peacock.
