A good start to the second half provided Ohio State the cushion it needed Thursday night as the Buckeyes won their third-straight game, knocking-off Penn State 88-70.
The Buckeyes are now 20-9 on the season and 12-5 in the conference. This is the 25th time Ohio State has won 20 games in a season.
The turning point tonight came at the onset of the second half. The Buckeyes reeled-off eight-straight points to turn a six-point halftime lead into a 44-30 advantage. The Nittany Lions were never able to get any closer than nine points the rest of the way.
Ameryst Alston continued her torrid play as she led all scorers with 23 points. She made four three-pointers and dished-out seven assists. Alston has scored 98 points and dished-out 28 assists in the last four games.
Freshman Kelsey Mitchell finished the night with 18 points and six assists. She made three three-pointers which gives her 107 on the season. That sets a new OSU single-season record, breaking Caity Matter’s previous record of 106 which she set during the 2002-03 season.
Shayla Cooper was 8-of-13 from the floor to finish with 16 points and had a season-high three steals. Cait Craft hit four three-pointers and finished with 12 points while Alexa Hart chipped-in with 10 points and seven rebounds.
Penn State was led by Sierra Moore who scored 18 points. Candice Agee finished with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds.
The game lacked a bit of emotion at the start but a 9-0 run for the Buckeyes midway through opened up the scoring. Alston hit a pair of three-pointers and scored as time was winding down to give the Buckeyes a 36-30 edge at the break.
Alston led all scorers in the first half with 14 points. The Buckeyes shot just 36.8 percent in the opening half but forced 10 PSU turnovers and converted them into 10 points which helped them build a lead.
The run early in the set half set the tone for the rest of the game. A Moore jumper cut the lead to 63-54 with 9:20 to play but Cooper answered with a pair of buckets to push the lead right back. The Buckeyes scored 52 points in the second half. That pace didn’t allow the Lady Lions to get back into the game.
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