Jan. 12, 2012
Site: Columbus, Ohio (Value City Arena)
Score: No. 11/13 Ohio State 82, Northwestern 72
Records: NU (11-6, 1-3 Big Ten), Ohio State (16-1, 3-1 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: Monday, Jan. 16 -- vs. Illinois (Evanston, Ill.) 6:30 p.m. CT
COUMBUS, Ohio-- Northwestern fought tooth and nail, but No. 11/13 Ohio State used a 10-0 spurt toward the end of the game to hang on for an 82-72 win at Value City Arena Thursday night. Junior Dannielle Diamant paced Northwestern (11-6, 1-3) with a career-best 23 points while Kendall Hackney, Morgan Jones and Tailor Jones also reached double figures.
"I thought it was a great college basketball game," head coach Joe McKeown said after the game. "I thought we broke down a little defensively at the wrong times and Ohio State made plays. It seemed like we couldn't get a lead in the second half, but overall, I thought it was a well-played game."
The contest opened at a frantic and furious pace, with both teams refusing to let the other stage a large run from the tip. The parity continued throughout the 20 minutes where, in total, there were six ties and half a dozen lead changes. Both squads shot 53 percent from the field and dished out seven assists. Northwestern would not allow Ohio State out of its sights; as the largest lead the home team could muster was eight. The Buckeyes took a 38-35 edge into the break.
Diamant led the 'Cats with 14 points at intermission. While Northwestern committed just nine turnovers, the Buckeyes converted on every opportunity, translating into 18 points.
Northwestern opened the second half on a 10-4 run, spearheaded by four points from Diamant and a huge three-pointer from Allison Mocchi. Ohio State came back to notch the game at 47 a piece with 13:47 remaining.
And, once again, the see-sawing continued until the Buckeyes spurted ahead, fueled from a pair of steals, to go on a 10-0 run, taking a 65-54 lead with 6:34 remaining. But, Northwestern slowly crept back, whittling the lead down to seven, 69-62, with four minutes to play.
A three-pointer by Morgan Jones with two minutes remaining further reduced the OSU lead, making it 72-67. Amber Stokes spoke for the Buckeyes in the form of another three-pointer on the following possession, but a pair of free throws by Karly Roser soon made it a two-possession game with a minute to play. Ohio State's Tayler Hill, the conference's leading scorer, stepped up and scored the next five points to push the lead to 11 and ultimately secure the Buckeyes' 16th win of the season.
Northwestern returns to Evanston to host in-state rivals Illinois for a 6:30 p.m. tip Monday evening. The game will be carried live on the Big Ten Network.
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