BOOM
Former Duke forward Sean Stewart, a five-star recruit in the 2023 class, commits to Ohio State.
The Buckeyes made it look easy in Knoxville.
In Ohio State's second top-25 matchup of the season, the Buckeyes took control of the game early on, holding a double-digit lead in the second quarter at Tennessee and never looked back. The No. 16-ranked Buckeyes beat No. 20 Tennessee, 78-58, in Ohio State's first true road game of the season.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #16 OHIO STATE | 20 | 23 | 20 | 15 | 78 |
| #20 TENNESSEE | 15 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 58 |
After having 19 first-half points, Cotie McMahon didn't score in the second half but plenty of other Buckeyes did. All five starters scored at least nine points with four of them reaching double digits. In her first game with 10-plus shot attempts of the season, Rebeka Mikulasikova notched 18 points while shooting an efficient 7-of-10 from the field and 3-of-5 from 3-point range. Celeste Taylor had her first double-double as a Buckeye, totaling 15 points, 12 rebounds (six offensive), three assists, two steals and one block.
Congratulations to Rebeka Mikulikov on scoring 1,000 career points #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/d2ARw41PHt
— Ohio State WBB (@OhioStateWBB) December 3, 2023
While Ohio State shot just 41.1% from the field, 27.3% from beyond the arc and 63.2% from the free-throw stripe, it was still able to garner 78 points while leaning on its defense to dominate Tennessee throughout much of the four quarters.
The Buckeyes led by five after the first quarter, 15 at halftime, and cruised through the second half to earn the top-20 win.
First half
Starting the game on a 9-2 run and scoring 20 of the game's first 27 points, the Buckeyes got off to a hot start against the Volunteers. OSU outscored Tenessee 20-15 in the opening 10 minutes and then again, 23-13, in the second quarter. Although Ohio State shot just 3-of-10 from 3-point range, it shot 41.7% from the field in the first half. Even with the Buckeyes scoring 43 points in the first 20 minutes of the game, they leaned on their defense, holding Tennessee to shoot just 32.1% from the field in the first half.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | TENNESSEE |
|---|---|---|
| 78 | POINTS | 58 |
| 30-73 (41.1%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 20-57 (35.1%) |
| 6-22 (27.3%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 5-27 (18.5%) |
| 12-19 (63.2%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 13-20 (65%) |
| 12 | TURNOVERS | 20 |
| 45 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 36 |
| 17 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 9 |
| 28 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 27 |
| 4 | BENCH POINTS | 35 |
| 4 | BLOCKS | 5 |
| 11 | STEALS | 7 |
| 16 | ASSISTS | 12 |
Cotie McMahon led the way with 19 points and five rebounds in the first two quarters of the game. Besides McMahon, OSU's other players made just 9-of-24 shots throughout the first half.
Second half
On cruise control, the Buckeyes continued to outscore Tennesee, 20-16, in the third quarter to take a 19-point lead into the fourth quarter. Head coach Kevin McGuff made sure plenty of players received time in the final quarter given Ohio State's dominance through the first three quarters of the game as 10 total Buckeyes saw the floor, nine of whom had at least two shots with seven total OSU players scoring in the game.
What's next?
Ohio State hosts the Ohio Bobcats in non-conference play Tuesday night, with the matchup between in-state schools scheduled for 7 p.m.
