If the idea of ”no loss, only lessons learned” is correct, Ohio The women’s basketball team has learned its fair share of lessons. Last week saw the Buckeyes lose three games in a row, but Sunday was the toughest for Scarlett & Gray.
After dropping games to two teams in the top 10, the Buckeyes lost to an unranked team. purdue boiler manufacturers 73-65. Here’s what we got from that game, including comments from head coach Kevin McGuff and guards Taylor Mycsell and Taylor Thierry.
lack of concentration
McGuff was candid, and the first thing he said to the media after Sunday’s loss was spot on.
“They came in and they were focused. They were ready, but we weren’t,” McGuff said.
Purdue opened the game with a storm of three-point shots. The Boilermakers went 7-9, shooting from 77.8% deep. On most of those attempts, Buckeyes raised his hand to stop the shot. On the surface, this looks like a good defense, but Ohio has been unable to disrupt Purdue enough to spot those shooters, so those attempts need to be rushed. bottom.
Abby Ellis and Cassidy Hardin both went 3-3 against the Buckeyes. Ohio State put him in holes 27-13 in the first quarter alone.
Some argue that the attack didn’t help either. The Buckeyes have his 14-68 record since Monday’s loss to his top 10 at the time. Iowa HawkeyesOffensively, Ohio State has not been good, but the main culprit of the day was clear for Mike Sell.
“A lot of it was our defense,” Mikesell said. “We weren’t going to be in the contest. In the second half when we had the energy, we found they didn’t get a lot of easy looks, so we locked up more and put our staff down.” I had to focus more on knowing.”
Ohio State made another comeback in the second half, tying the game at 58 with 4:28 remaining. Then the Buckeyes again lost focus and Purdue he outscored them 15-7 in the final minutes of the game. Part of it was a significant withdrawal by the state of Ohio.
Departure of Taylor Thierry
The Buckeyes couldn’t afford to lose Thierry on Sunday, but they did. After scoring the game-tying layup, on his next possession offensively Thierry scored his fifth foul on his offensive charging his call.
“I agree with the call, but I committed a few other fouls. I don’t know if I agree too much,” Thierry said. “But I have to be more careful, more careful about it.”
Without Thierry, the Boilermakers won by seven points.
Sunday was Thierry’s third foul in a game, the first two being tennessee volunteer When Louisville CardinalsHowever, in both of these games the Buckeyes were leading and charging ahead of their opponents.
The idea that Thierry is fouling more confirms two things. Paying more attention to positioning, Thierry said first. There were some tough calls on Sunday, but being in a better position will help the young forward avoid bad decisions.
Thursday in Indiana, Thierry committed four fouls early in the second half, but McGuff had to keep her in play. I didn’t.
scoring slump
The past three games have been difficult for Ohio State, but what has pushed the Buckeyes through some games is their ability to generate scores at key points in the game.
Other than Thierry and forward Coty McMahon, that hasn’t happened. McMahon’s led the team in the past three days with him scoring 17.6 points. For Mikesell and forward girlfriend Rebeka Mikulášiková, both are below his season totals per game, averaging 12.6 respectively and him at 7.3 over the past seven days.
All three scored 11 points on Sunday, with Thierry leading all Buckeyes with 18.
When asked about shot selection or shot quality, McGuff thinks:
“It’s a little bit of both,” said McGuff. “Sometimes we stand a little too far in the zone offense and aren’t moving ourselves and the ball. And you have to step up and make them in order to win.
Against Purdue, and the previous two games, the Buckeyes have been in position to hit deep attempts, and defenses have chosen not to rush or defend shooters. That’s because there are no serious threats to Ohio other than Miquesel and Micrashikova.
Guard Ricky Harris hit two of nine attempts on Sunday. For most of them, defense was fine with the choice to shoot. For Mikesell, defense is also a focus from deep inside.
So Ohio State’s serious threats are mostly quick shots from off-screen three-point range, sometimes with two defenders in front of them. However, there is no excuse for moving to Oregon.
“It just doesn’t come in,” Mikesell said. “I have no choice but to keep shooting”
Improved rebound
There is a ray of light in the darkness of Scarlett & Gray’s recent losing streak. Ohio State had a rebounding margin on Sunday, showing better energy and positioning under the basket to get a second chance.
Against Purdue, Ohio State had two more than Purdue overall, but hit them with offensive rebounds. The Buckeyes were on the offensive board where he outbounded 12-for-7 and scored 14 second chance points.
ineffective press
The Buckeyes also gave out more balls than the Boilermakers on Sunday. This is not what Ohio State University is about. He’s the only time Purdue has lost the ball 13 times, well below his turnover average of 22.2 this season.
This was due to the Buckeyes missing shots and pressing infrequently, forcing only fours in the first half. But in the second half they improved with nine turnovers by Purdue. That was also when Ohio State tied the game and had a chance to pull out another comeback win.
“I think we’re a little bit out of our identity,” said McGuff.
Less pressing means less chance to push the transition offense into another gear. A slower transition means more half-court basketball for the Buckeyes to struggle with. Luckily for Mikesell and her teammates, it’s her January now, not her March.
“We still have league games left and we don’t want to play our best basketball right now, so it’s good to embrace a little adversity,” Mikesell said. “You take it on the chin and get better.” .”
Purdue Credits
Another reason Ohio State lost was having another team on the court. It wasn’t all Buckeye’s fault, it’s also a Purdue team that’s making big strides in 2023 and playing good basketball.
“We talked about it as a team. ‘This is not a team you can miss. They’re playing really good basketball right now and if we’re not doing well, they’re here.’ We can come and win,” said McGuff. “And that’s what happened.”
Sunday was the second consecutive road win for the Boilermakers after beating No. 22. illinois fighting illini Thursday, when the Buckeyes were in Bloomington, Indiana. Besides her 26 points and her 15 from Ellis and Hardin, guard Jeanay her Terry quietly played an impressive game.
Terry had 8 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists on the day. As one of her three in NCAA women’s basketball, she continues her trend of averaging six or more in each category per game.
Aside from the Buckeyes getting things in the fourth quarter as well, the Boilermakers played a game dominating Ohio State. They stopped running when teams that couldn’t do the same were scattered throughout the season.
Jaycee Sheldon at the gym
The big post-game announcement was an update on guard Jaycee Sheldon. The guard has missed 14 straight games on Sunday since November 30 against the Louisville Cardinals.
Sheldon’s leg injury has returned to normal, and coach McGuff shared that Sheldon is now working at the gym. Her return and staying healthy throughout the season is no longer a “nice to have” but a necessity if the Buckeyes want to continue competing at a high level.
“The influence of them[Sheldon and Madison Green]was never felt,” Mikesell said. “They are hard shoes to fill.”
