Michigan State vs No. 5 Ohio State | Big Ten | 2.11.24

EAST LANSING, Mich. – February 11th, 2024

The No. 5/5 Ohio State Buckeyes (21-3, 12-1 B1G) beat RV/RV Michigan State (17-7, 7-6 B1G) on Sunday afternoon by an 86-71 margin.

The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair before the Buckeyes used a pair of 6-0 runs to build a 26-19 lead after 10 minutes. Ohio State scored the first eight points of the second quarter and used an 11-0 run to build a 53-31 lead at halftime. The Buckeyes' 22-16 third quarter featured a 10-0 run as OSU led 75-47 after 30 minutes. Ohio State emptied the bench in the fourth on its way to the 86-71 win.

Celeste Taylor reached double figures in under seven minutes of play on her way to a season-high 20 points total. Jacy Sheldon (18) and Rebeka Mikulášiková (19) also reached double figures in the first half and Taylor Thierry (12) joined them after halftime. Ohio State combined for a season-high 28 assists and shot 57.6 percent from the floor.

How it Happened
Taylor Thierry converted a three-point play on the opening possession and the teams alternated scoring. The Buckeyes had the 10-8 advantage midway through the quarter. Michigan State took its first lead of the game at 13-12 with just under four minutes remaining but Taylor and Mikulášiková responded with back-to-back triples. The Spartans got within one at 18-17 but the Buckeyes used a 6-0 run to build a 26-19 lead after 10 minutes.

Ohio State scored the first eight points of the second quarter to extend its lead to 34-19 and force a Michigan State timeout. The Spartans responded with a 7-0 run out of the timeout but the Buckeyes used an 11-0 run later to build the lead to 53-31 at halftime.

After a Michigan State free throw to open the third quarter, Ohio State went on a 10-0 run to increase its lead to 63-32 with seven minutes remaining in the quarter. The Spartans responded with the next six points but then scoring alternated and the Buckeyes led 75-47 going into the fourth quarter.

The Buckeyes opened the final quarter with the first five points before the Spartans responded. Ohio State held the 84-57 advantage midway through the fourth. The Buckeyes led by as many as 29 points and scoring was capped at 86-71.