It was a good run, but the opponent at the end of the rope was just too much to overcome for the Ohio State women’s basketball team.
The Buckeyes have one of the youngest rosters in all of women’s college basketball, but it has been improving as the season has wore on. OSU made its way into the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 6 seed and messed around and made it all the way to the championship game.
It first beat No. 11 seed Minnesota in the first round, blew the doors off No. 3 seed Iowa 87-66, then beat No. 7 seed Michigan in the semis 66-60 for a date with No. 1 seed Maryland.
For a while, it looked like Ohio State would make a game of it. In fact, led by ten points from Dorka Juhasz, the Buckeyes led after the first quarter 22-20. But then the Terps began to find a groove. Maryland outscored the Buckeyes by eleven points in the 2nd quarter to head into halftime up 44-35.
Unfortunately for OSU, the second half was much like the first. Maryland extended its lead to fourteen and headed to the last period up 60-46. Ohio State played hard, but Maryland’s experience and skill was just too much, and the Terrapins cut down the nets after an 82-65 victory.
Final.#GoBucks | #THEbeginning pic.twitter.com/TIP96nZjkM
— Ohio State WBB (@OhioStateWBB) March 8, 2020
Juhasz led the Buckeyes with 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting. Kristen Bell added 13, and Jacy Sheldon added 11 for the only OSU players in double figures.
Ohio State will now await its fate as it relates to the NCAA Tournament. It has done more than enough to be in on all the fun and will be a tough out for one of the top teams.