Clark triple-double leads No. 10 Iowa over No. 2 Ohio State

Associated PressJan 24, 2023, 12:15 AM EST

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Caitlin Clark added another accomplishment to her decorated resume at Iowa.

She notched 28 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds and No. 10 Iowa defeated No. 2 Ohio State 83-72 on Monday night.

Although Clark is known as a prolific scorer, leading NCAA Division I behind 72-consecutive games in double figures, she was all over the floor against the Buckeyes.

And that’s the player she aims to be.

“That’s just kind of what I pride myself in, being able to do a lot of different things on the basketball court for my team,” Clark said. “Those are players I grew up watching. Sam Logic, that used to play here at the University of Iowa, she was a triple-double queen, too. I love people that could score the ball. I love people that could pass the ball.”

Monika Czinano added 22 points for Iowa (16-4, 8-1 Big Ten).

Iowa’s 12-point lead almost midway through the third quarter narrowed as slim as three with 9:05 left in the fourth. Ohio State’s Cotie McMahon scored five of her 21 points in the final quarter, but Czinano went 3 for 3 in the fourth quarter to help keep the Buckeyes at bay.

“I think we were together the whole game,” Clark said. “They went on their runs. We were changing defenses. We weren’t able to score there for a little bit in the third quarter. And I thought we really stepped up and showed our maturity, and that’s what it’s going to take not only in the Big Ten but when you get into the NCAA Tournament.”

The Hawkeyes kept Ohio State scoreless for more than 2 1/2 minutes in the fourth quarter, allowing Czinano and Iowa to command a 13-point advantage with 3:11 remaining.

Ohio State (19-1, 8-1) gave one more try and went 4 of 9 from the field in the final three minutes, but the Hawkeyes made all eight attempts at the free throw line to seal the win.

“They came in just wanting to have that warrior, even mentality, and I thought we did that,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “I could just name person after person. They all did a great job, and I’m really proud of them. This is a big win.”

Ohio State shot 38%, its worst in five games, and 16% from 3-point range, its lowest mark of the season. Taylor Thierry scored 20 points and had nine rebounds.

“I don’t think that we were asking anybody to do anything that they weren’t capable of doing, but we just didn’t make a lot of shots,” Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. “You’re not going to beat Iowa the way they were guarding us if that was the case.”

HISTORIC TRIPLE-DOUBLE

Clark’s 28 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds helped her become the second Division I male or female to notch a triple-double against an AP top 2 opponent since 1999-2000, joining Dwyane Wade who did so during the men’s NCAA Tournament in 2002-03.

It marked the eighth triple-double of Clark’s career.

“I don’t need to score 30 points every night. It’s the 25 and 10 and 10 that really helps us be super, super successful because that means we have multiple people contributing,” Clark said. “You’re guarding everybody on the floor. You’re guarding people off the bench. And that’s the recipe for success if you want to be an NCAA champion.”

MEANINGFUL MINUTES

Without McKenna Warnock, who didn’t play after starting the first 19 games of the season and is Iowa’s third-leading scorer, the Hawkeyes relied on others stepping up.

Kate Moore contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds, Hannah Stuelke grabbed 13 rebounds and Czinano went 11 of 13 from the field. Czinano was a perfect 4 of 4 while nearing foul trouble in the second half.

ONE FOR THE BOOKS

Iowa’s victory is its highest-ranked win in program history.

“That one hasn’t sunk in yet,” Bluder said. “These women are so amazing. I’m so proud of them. It’ll probably settle in tomorrow, and then we got to get ready for Nebraska.”

BIG PICTURE

Iowa: Turnovers remained an issue for the No. 2 scoring offense in the NCAA even after the Hawkeyes gave it away a season-high 20 times last time out against Michigan State in overtime Wednesday. Iowa had 17 giveaways against Ohio State’s press defense, including 11 in the second half.

Ohio State: The 19-game, season-opening win streak came to a close. The Buckeyes entered 4-0 against Top 25 opponents this season, and the challenge won’t slow as their next matchup will be with a top 10 conference foe.

“One of the things I told them, I was like, `Outside of tonight, I think for the most part we’ve handled winning fine – now you got to handle losing,”‘ McGuff said.

UP NEXT

Iowa: Hosts Nebraska on Saturday.

Ohio State: Travels to No. 6 Indiana on Thursday.

No. 3 Ohio State’s defense forces TOs, tops No. 14 Michigan 66-57

Associated PressDec 31, 2022, 6:37 PM EST

Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 3 Ohio State specializes in pressure and forcing turnovers, and that’s how it shook off a slow start to sink No. 14 Michigan.

The Buckeyes (15-0, 4-0 Big Ten) forced a season-high 27 turnovers and pulled away from the Wolverines to win 66-57 and snap a three-game skid in the rivalry.

Taylor Mikesell scored 16 points and Rikki Harris added 14 as Ohio State overcame its own sloppy first half to go ahead just before halftime and outlast an equally physical Michigan team down the stretch.

“I didn’t know how many times we would turn them over, but I knew that could be a big part of our strategy,” Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. “Even it wasn’t turning them over, just trying to wear them out with our pressure and full court (press).”

Ohio State has forced at least 20 turnovers in all but two of their games this season. Cotie McMahon had 12 for the Buckeyes, and Taylor Thierry contributed 10 rebounds.

Cameron Williams paced the Wolverines (12-2, 2-1) with 18 points, and Maddie Nolan and Emily Kiser each chipped in 10.

In the first half, there were a combined 23 turnovers and neither team could make an outside shot until late. Ohio State was 0 for 7 from 3-point range until Harris and Mikesell finally made them with just under four minutes left in the half.

Ohio State was down by as many as eight points in the first quarter, and Emma Shumate hit a 3-pointer from the corner before the buzzer to give the Buckeyes a 30-27 lead at the intermission.

Ohio State went on a 15-3 run and led by as many as 16 before Michigan cut the deficit to 50-41 at the end of the third quarter when Leigha Brown got a steal and Maddie Nolan went to the basket for a layup at the buzzer.

Michigan cut the lead to two with 6:47 left when Nolan hit a 3-pointer, just the second of the game for the Wolverines.

“We knew what we had to do. We had done it earlier in the game,” Harris said. “We allowed a few baskets and allowed them to get closer, gave them a lot more hope than we should have. We just had to toughen up and lock in our stuff so we didn’t turn the ball over as much.”

Ohio State opened it up to 64-52 on Rebeka Mikulasikova’s first 3-pointer with 2:58 left. Michigan had a 5-0 run late, but a pair of foul shots by Harris sealed it. She had seven of her points from the line.

Brown, who averages 15.3 points for Michigan, fouled out with just over 3 minutes left and finished with eight points.

The Buckeyes won despite shooting only 35%. But Michigan could only manage 37.3% from the floor. Ohio State was 19 for 25 from the foul line, while Michigan made only 17 of 28.

“I thought we put them to the free throw line too many times. That really hurt us because defensively we were doing a great job,” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “And I thought they really boarded the offensive rebounding exceptionally well late in the game, which really kept possessions alive for them when we were making that run.”

BIG PICTURE

Michigan: The Wolverines’ defense was as a good as it was billed, but they turned the ball over too often thanks to the Ohio State pressure defense and couldn’t make shots.

Ohio State: The Buckeyes had 16 turnovers and escaped despite uncharacteristically poor shooting. Mikesell was double-teamed and hit 4 of 16 from the floor.

WON’T GO

The Buckeyes were just 5 for 23 from the 3-point line, with Mikesell hitting 2 of 7. Michigan was worse, making only 2 of 17 from long range.

UP NEXT

Michigan: Hosts Penn State on Tuesday.

Ohio State: At Minnesota on Thursday.

After buzzer beat to force OT, Tar Heels beat Ohio State 89-84

Associated PressDec 17, 2022, 7:30 PM EST

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK – Pete Nance made a jumper at the buzzer to force overtime, RJ Davis iced a much-needed victory for scuffling North Carolina with two late free throws, and the Tar Heels beat No. 23 Ohio State 89-84 on Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic.

Armando Bacot had 28 points and 15 rebounds and Caleb Love scored 22 for North Carolina (8-4), which is trying to right itself after a four-game losing streak – all away from home – knocked the preseason No. 1 team out of the Top 25 two weeks ago.

The Tar Heels have now won three straight, but none better than this one against the Buckeyes (7-3) at Madison Square Garden.

The Tar Heels trailed for most of the game before Davis hit a 3 from the wing with 1:29 left to make it 75-74 North Carolina.

Brice Sensabaugh made a jumper from inside the foul line with 2 seconds left to give the Buckeyes a 79-77 lead. North Carolina used a couple of timeouts to get the play it wanted, first completing a long inbounds pass to get the ball past halfcourt.

That left 1.2 seconds, just enough for Leaky Black to lob an inbounds pass to the 6-foot-11 Nance, who swished a turnaround from the wing as time expired to send it to OT.

Sensabaugh, making his second straight start with Isaac Likekele out, had 22 points and eight rebounds for the Buckeyes.

North Carolina’s Hubert Davis, who played the first four seasons of his 12-year NBA career with the New York Knicks, returned to the Garden as coach of his alma mater for the first time.

Ohio State led by as many as 12 in the first half as the Tar Heels were going 1 for 9 from 3-point range. Bacot pulled the Tar Heels back within six, scoring 14 points and having his way in the paint.

But Justice Sueing made a 3 at the first-half buzzer to put the Buckeyes up 44-35 at the break.

THE TAKEAWAY

North Carolina: The Tar Heels struggled from 3, hitting just 6 of 28 (21%).

Ohio State: Leading scorer Zed Key had 11 points, four rebounds and four fouls as he spent much of his day leaning on Bacot. The Buckeyes also threw 6-foot-11 freshman Felix Okpara at the Tar Heels’ big man. Okpara fouled out in 12 minutes.

UP NEXT

North Carolina: The Tar Heels get the other half of the Big Ten’s fiercest rivalry Wednesday when they face Michigan in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Ohio State: The Buckeyes return home to face Maine on Wednesday.

Sueing leads Buckeyes past No. 21 Texas Tech 80-73 in Maui

Associated PressNov 23, 2022, 11:53 PM EST

Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

LAHAINA, Hawaii – Justice Sueing couldn’t have asked for a much better homecoming, especially after sitting out nearly all of last season with an injury.

The Honolulu native scored 23 of his career-high 33 points in the second half to help Ohio State hold off No. 21 Texas Tech for an 80-73 win in the fifth-place game in the Maui Invitational on Wednesday.

Sueing scored 15 points in a row for the Buckeyes in the last 10 minutes to turn back the Red Raiders each time they threatened to make a run.

“It means a lot, especially because I was able to play in front of my family,” said Sueing, who played in the first two games last season before an abdominal injury sidelined him. “The past couple of games I’ve been struggling a little bit just trying to get back into the flow of things being out from injury.”

Ohio State (5-1) shot 52% from the field, made all 18 of its free throws and never trailed after the first two minutes while ending its visit to Maui with wins in two of three games.

“It’s a great tournament,” Sueing said. “It’s a challenge. That’s what we said coming into this, that we were going to get three really good games, and that’s what we got.”

Texas Tech (4-2) got a career-high 21 points from Daniel Batcho and 19 from Kevin Obanor.

The Buckeyes led 41-37 at half and never let the Red Raiders get closer, largely because of the work of Sueing.

“They’ve got so many players that you have to focus in on that could get 15, 20 points,” Texas Tech coach Mark Adams said. “Just a very, very explosive offense.”

Obanor muscled in a shot from in close to pull Tech within 62-58, but Sueing was fouled shooting a 3-pointer on the Buckeyes’ next possession and he made all three free throws.

After Jaylon Tyson hit a 3 from the wing, Sueing put back his own miss, got fouled and made the free throw to make it 68-61.

Sueing scored on a putback and dunked after catching a long inbound pass to put Ohio State up 74-67 and end his personal 15-point flurry.

Sueing also had eight rebounds and five assists, and Sean McNeil added 13 points for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State committed 10 turnovers against a Tech defense that had forced a combined 31 in its first two games in Hawaii.

Sueing had come into the game after making just 7 of 24 shots in his previous two games. He was 12 of 19 against the Red Raiders.

“I wanted him to see a few shots fall because he’s a better shooter than how he’s shot it,” Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann said, “and I think he needed that. He’s a much better shooter, his numbers showed that, than what he’s shown.”

BIG PICTURE

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders, who went 1-2 in Maui, turned in the defensive performance of the year when they held Louisville to 38 points on Tuesday. Their trademark defense understandably softened in its third game in three days.

Ohio State: Winning two of three games in Maui bodes well for a team that returned three players and has 10 newcomers. Sueing, a transfer from California, picked up the team offensively after freshman Brice Sensabaugh, who came in averaging 17 points per game, had all 10 of his points in the first half.

UP NEXT

Texas Tech hosts Georgetown on Wednesday.

Ohio State visits Duke on Wednesday in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

No. 14 Ohio State comes back, downs No. 5 Tennessee 87-75

Associated PressNov 8, 2022, 11:17 PM EST

Adam Cairns/USA TODAY NETWORK

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Taylor Mikesell scored 20 of her 25 points in the second half, leading No. 14 Ohio State to an 87-75 victory over No. 5 Tennessee on Tuesday night in the season opener.

Ohio State erased Tennessee’s 41-33 halftime lead and outscored the Volunteers 30-13 in the third quarter. Mikesell powered the Buckeyes’ surge as they closed the third on a 12-0 run, and she contributed 10 points during that span.

The Volunteers narrowed the lead down to eight points with 5:43 to go, but the Buckeyes wouldn’t let it get close.

Reigning Big Ten regular-season champion Ohio State forced 29 turnovers, leading to 37 points. The Buckeyes shot 51% from the field, including 63.3% in the second half.

Mikesell went 4 for 10 on her 3-point attempts. Jacy Sheldon swiped a career-high eight steals and scored 14 points as Ohio State had five players reach double figures.

Jordan Horston led Tennessee with 20 points and Jasmine Powell contributed 10. The Volunteers shot 48% and held a 40-30 advantage on the glass.

BIG PICTURE

Tennessee: Powell, who transferred after three seasons at Minnesota, shot 7 of 12. She’s among four Tennessee transfers, and three of whom earned all-conference honors at their previous programs.

Ohio State: Mikesell’s three 3-pointers in the second half helped the Buckeyes overcome a 1-for-10 start from beyond the arc. She was Ohio State’s 3-point leader as the team shot 37.6% from 3-point land last season, finishing second in the Big Ten.

UP NEXT

Tennessee: Hosts UMass Tuesday.

Ohio State: Travels to Boston College on Sunday.

Arkansas to open against Louisville in Maui Invitational

Associated PressAug 1, 2022, 2:12 PM EDT

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

LAHAINA, Hawaii — Arkansas will face Louisville in the opening round of a loaded 2022 Maui Invitational bracket.

The eight-team bracket announced for the November event will include six teams that went to the 2022 NCAA Tournament, including three that reached the Sweet 16.

Arizona faces Cincinnati in the opening round after reaching the Sweet 16 in coach Tommy Lloyd’s first season. Texas Tech, another Sweet 16 team last season, plays Creighton and San Diego State faces Ohio State in the tournament’s return to the Lahaina Civic Center on Nov. 21-23.

The 2020 tournament was held in Asheville, North Carolina, and last year’s was played in Las Vegas.

Arkansas has reached the Elite Eight the past two seasons under coach Eric Musselman.