Ohio State has now lost as many games in its last four contests as it lost in its first 25 games of the year.
After starting the 22-3, the Buckeyes (23-6, 12-5) suffered their third loss in four games as they fell to No. 8 Michigan in overtime, 88-86, in their final home game of the regular season on Wednesday.
The Buckeyes, who outscored Michigan 28-14 in the first quarter, led by as many as eight points in overtime but allowed Michigan to score the final 10 points of the game to earn the win.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #8 MICHIGAN | 14 | 25 | 22 | 13 | 14 | 88 |
| #13 OHIO STATE | 28 | 12 | 13 | 21 | 12 | 86 |
Olivia Olson led Michigan to victory with 31 points while Syla Swords added 22 points for the Wolverines. Jaloni Cambridge led Ohio State with 22 points in defeat.
Ohio State’s bench outscored Michigan’s entire team in the first period as Bryn Martin made three 3-pointers and Kylee Kitts scored seven points as part of a 28-14 first quarter for the Buckeyes. Olson responded by outscoring Ohio State’s entire team in the second quarter, tallying 15 points as part of a 25-12 period by the Wolverines, cutting the Buckeyes’ lead to one point at halftime.
Michigan started the third quarter on an 11-3 run to pull ahead by seven points. Kitts and Cambridge combined for six straight points from there to make it a one-point game, but Michigan outscored Ohio State 11-4 for the rest of the quarter to take an eight-point lead into the fourth.
After Michigan extended its lead to nine points early in the fourth quarter on a pair of 3-pointers by Te’Yala Delfosse and Swords, Ohio State scored 11 of the next 13 points to tie the game, 69-69. Chance Gray put the Buckeyes ahead by two on a fast-break layup with 1:21 to play, but Olson tied the game with a pair of free throws on Michigan’s next possession. Swords hit a 3-pointer on Michigan’s next trip down the floor to give the Wolverines a 74-71 lead with 10.9 seconds to play.
Gray missed a 3-point attempt on Ohio State’s next possession, after which Kennedy Cambridge missed a pair of free throws. Delfosse grabbed a defensive rebound for Michigan that appeared to seal the win for the Wolverines, but after Elsa Lemmilä stole the ball for Ohio State, Jaloni Cambridge hit three free throws with 0.6 seconds to play to tie the game and send it to overtime.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | MICHIGAN |
|---|---|---|
| 86 | POINTS | 88 |
| 30-75 (40%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 34-69 (49.3%) |
| 9-28 (32.1%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 11-25 (44%) |
| 17-24 (70.8%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 9-12 (75%) |
| 33 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 46 |
| 13 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 14 |
| 20 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 32 |
| 20 | BENCH POINTS | 23 |
| 23 | ASSISTS | 20 |
| 13 | TURNOVERS | 20 |
| 1 | BLOCKS | 2 |
| 7 | STEALS | 3 |
Ohio State scored seven of the first eight points of overtime to take an 81-75 lead. After Olson hit a three to cut Ohio State’s lead to three, Gray and Ava Watson scored the game’s next five points to make it an eight-point game. But then Michigan’s Macy Brown scored eight straight points – her first eight points of the game – to tie the game at 86-all with 15 seconds to play in overtime.
After Martin missed a three for the Buckeyes, Olson made her 12th shot of the game to give the Wolverines a two-point lead with three seconds to play. Gray fired a deep three through the basket on the other end of the floor, but it came after the clock had hit zeroes, resulting in a Michigan win.
Wednesday’s loss dropped Ohio State’s record against ranked opponents this season to just 4-6, including losses in each of its last three ranked games. It also dropped the Buckeyes down to the No. 5 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, knocking them out of position for a double bye entering their final game of the regular season.
Ohio State will play its fourth ranked opponent in five games to end the regular season as it faces No. 15 Michigan State on Sunday in East Lansing (Noon, Big Ten Network).
