No. 12 Ohio State continues to capitalize on its weaker non-conference schedule with another high-scoring victory over a mid-major school.
On Sunday, the Buckeyes defeated Mid-American Conference’s Bowling Green 96-53, despite starter Cotie McMahon be unavailable for the second-straight game with a lower-leg injury.
Freshman Ava Watson led the way for Ohio State with 20 points, all but two coming from 3-pointers. Touted as a 3-point shooting threat by Buckeyes coach Kevin McGuff, Watson went 6-for-10 from beyond the arc.
“I’ve been kind of waiting for something like this, because I’ve been seeing it in practice,” McGuff said. “There just hasn’t really been a game yet, but she did it tonight and she looked great. I think that’s what I’ve been talking about and what she’s capable of.”
Newcomers Chance Gray and Jaloni Cambridge have been key contributors in McMahon’s absence, with Gray recording 18 points and Cambridge adding 17. Senior Taylor Thierry and redshirt sophomore Kennedy Cambridge also double-digit scoring with 17 and 10 points, respectively.
Bowling Green got on the board first with a wide-open layup from Amy Velasco less than a minute into the game. Jaloni Cambridge answered with a mid-range jumper three plays later, and that 2-2 tie at the 8:37 mark was the only point the score was out of Ohio State’s control.
Throughout the first 6 minutes of the quarter, the Buckeyes were only able to keep Bowling Green an arm’s length away with the Falcons keeping their deficit at 5 points or lower.
Ohio State gained the momentum to pull away, taking a 18-9 lead with 2:42 left in the quarter after hitting back-to-back 3-point baskets.
Entering the second quarter, Ohio State held an 23-12 advantage that continued to expand.
The Buckeyes went on a 14-0 run with less than 5 minutes remaining in the half behind the efforts of Watson and redshirt graduate Eboni Walker, who’d finish the game with six points.
“I just felt like I was in the flow,” Watson said. “In practice, I’ve been putting up extra shots with my coaches Carla (Morrow) and Katie Smith. So, it just translated well. I finally got into a comfortable state.”
It took Bowling Green over three minutes to break its scoreless streak, but the Buckeyes already had built the lead to 45-21.
A final jumper from Thierry put Ohio State ahead 47-23 at halftime. 22 of the Buckeyes first-half points were off turnovers, compared to the Falcons zero.
The momentum of the game stayed in Ohio State’s favor in the second half, with the Buckeyes relaying heavily on their bench. Nearly half their points in the third and fourth quarter came off the hands of bench players.
Ohio State’s full-court press helped the team record 15 steals, marking the third time this season the Buckeyes have hit 15-plus in that statistical category. Every statistical category was a positive for the Buckeyes, including rebounding – an area Ohio State struggles in. Ohio State grabbed 40 while Bowling Green had 39.
In five games this season, Ohio State has averaged 93.4 points, compared to the 84.8 the Buckeyes were averaging at this point last year.
The Buckeyes, now 5-0, will head down to the Dayton Beach Classic to play two games on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State defeats Bowling Green 96-53 without Cotie McMahon
