No. 4 Ohio St leads wire-to-wire, tops Wright State 105-52
Nov 23, 2022, 12:01 AM | Updated: 2:55 pm
Ohio State's Kaia Henderson, right drives the lane against Wright State's Makiya Miller during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
(AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Rebeka Mikulasikova scored 18 points to lead six Ohio State players in double figures as the No. 4 Buckeyes rolled to a 105-52 win over Wright State on Wednesday.
The Buckeyes, who have won five straight, shot a season-best 55.7% from the field. They led 4-3 after nearly the first two minutes and the Raiders never got the lead.
Madison Greene scored a season-high 17 points, Taylor Mikesell and Cotie McMahon added 16 apiece and Taylor Thierry posted 15 points for the Buckeyes.
“One of our better offensive performances,” Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said.
Mikulasikova scored 11 points in the second quarter as Ohio State went on a 17-2 run. The Buckeyes entered halftime with a 56-28 lead.
McMahon scored 10 points in the third quarter as the Buckeyes shot a game-best 64.7% in the frame.
Ohio State held a 42-30 advantage on the glass and forced 23 turnovers. McMahon and Rikki Harris had five steals apiece.
Isabelle Bolender led Wright State with 13 points. Bryce Nixon added 11 and Columbus native Lauren Scott scored 1.
“I do think the third quarter was probably the worst there,” Wright State coach Kari Hoffman said. “I think we had 11 turnovers in that quarter, so that’s where it just kind of felt like we’re not really controlling what we can here.”
PASSING IT AROUND
Ohio State noticed a season-high 26 assists despite missing its second-highest assists leader.
Greene led the Buckeyes with eight assists, Thierry reached a career-high five and four others added three each.
The Buckeyes gave away six turnovers, which is their fewest of the season.
“They had seven turnovers in the first half, and then in the first five minutes of the third quarter, they had eight,” McGuff said. “Just to sum up, all because of how hard we played coming out of halftime. But we didn’t play as hard as we should have in the first half.”
SEEING GREENE
Greene, who missed all of last season following knee surgery, shot 5 of 9 from the field with a trio of 3 pointers. She also went 4 of 4 at the free throw line.
“As good as she played, I think she’s still got a higher ceiling,” McGuff said. “You can see her though each game she gets a little more comfortable and she’s really going in a great direction.”
SHELDON OUT
Guard Jacy Sheldon, whose 27 steals through four games lead Ohio State, didn’t play as she sat out and wore a boot on her right foot.
“Knock on wood, we don’t think it’s long term or anything,” McGuff said.
THIERRY
Thierry shot a perfect 7 of 7 from the field. She brought in five assists, four rebounds and two steals as she reached double figures for the fourth time in five games.
“Just kind of letting the game come to me,” Thierry said. “Being aggressive offensively and seeing where I can contribute, where I can contribute offensively and just being aggressive.”
BIG PICTURE
Wright State: The Raiders lost their third of four to begin the year after defeating Ohio Christian of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics on Thursday. Seven of the 15 players on the team are freshmen.
Ohio State: Taylor Mikesell shot 4 of 9 from 3-point range as Ohio State shot a season-high 46.2% from distance. The Buckeyes finished fourth in the Big Ten in 3-point percentage a season ago and had their best performance from beyond the arc of the young season.
UP NEXT
Wright State: Travels to Eastern Illinois Monday.
Ohio State: Hosts North Alabama Sunday.
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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll
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