Ohio State Women’s basketball showed they’re resilient

The Ohio State women’s basketball team was taking on James Madison on Saturday afternoon in the Schott in a 14 vs. 3-seed matchup. It was a game that did not start out well for the Buckeyes. They found themselves down 35-19 in the first half and things were looking grim early.

Then the Buckeyes turned it on. They finished the first half on a 15-2 run to cut the deficit by three at halftime. Once the second half started, the Ohio State women’s basketball team pulled away and was able to win easily by a score of 80-66. They showed a lot of resiliency in this win.

What got them back in the game was their defense. The Buckeyes started getting more active in their full-court press and stopped fouling. They forced James Madison into 20 turnovers for the game. Once they stopped fouling, they could leave their best players out on the court.

This was also the first home game for Jacy Sheldon since November 5th because of her injuries. She didn’t play well in the first half but got it going in the second half. She ended up finishing with 17 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals. That’s the kind of effort the Buckeyes need from her.

This is a good win for a lot of reasons. Obviously, it keeps them alive in the tournament which is most important. But it’s also good to get tested early and prove that they can dig themselves out of a hole. They’ve done that all year, but to do it in the postseason when all the chips are down is something else entirely.

With this win, the Buckeyes will now take on North Carolina tomorrow at the Schott once again. Carolina is a 6-seed so they aren’t a cakewalk. Having this game at home is huge for the lady Buckeyes and I expect them to win this game too.