Ohio State survives Kentucky’s furious rally
McCoy steps up to quell Wildcats run
After using multiple contributions to build a big lead that seemed safe, Ohio State needed a group effort to avoid an even bigger collapse against Kentucky.
Tori McCoy scored six consecutive points midway through the fourth quarter to help the Buckeyes withstand Kentucky’s furious rally from a 19-point second-half deficit and escape with an 82-68 second-round victory Sunday.
The fourth-seeded Wildcats trailed 50-31 early in the third but closed to 65-64 with 6:04 remaining.
The fifth-seeded Buckeyes answered with eight consecutive points behind McCoy to lead 73-64 with 3:35 left.
“Coming down the stretch and scoring those six points was a huge thing for me,” the freshman forward said after making all six shots for 14 points along with a teamhigh 12 rebounds.
“I’m happy that my teammates looked for me. We made it happen. I’m just happy that we didn’t rush anything.”
Shayla Cooper scored eight of Ohio State’s final nine points and the Buckeyes (28-6) held on from there to earn their second consecutive Sweet 16 appearance in next week’s Lexington Region a few blocks away at Rupp Arena.
As shaky as the Buckeyes looked while Kentucky sliced their lead, they just as quickly found their resolve on both ends to complete a balanced performance.
Tentative from the start with shot selection and passing, the Wildcats dug a hole they couldn’t overcome in losing just their fourth home game this season.
Kelsey Mitchell scored 21 points, with 19 coming in the first half.
Cooper had 15 points and eight rebounds, and Sierra Calhoun scored 10 as Ohio State won the first postseason meeting between the schools.
Junior reserve guard Linnae Harper had perhaps the most complete line facing her former team for the first time: 12 points, 10 rebounds and a team-high 8 assists in 27 minutes.
Then again, she knew the place pretty well from two years with Kentucky.
“Just being back here on the court was a good feeling and getting a win overall was great for our team,” Harper said.
The Buckeyes shot at least 45 percent in eight of the past 11 games. They also won for the 14th time in 15 games.
Makayla Epps had 21 points and Evelyn Akhator had 14 points with a careerhigh 23 rebounds in their final games for Kentucky (22- 11).
The Wildcats missed their final nine shots and made just 34 percent from the field while seeking their second consecutive Sweet 16 berth at home.
Said Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell, “If we could’ve played with the same kind of energy we had in the third quarter to start the game, maybe things would’ve been different.”
Lexington Region
Texas 84, N.C. State 80: Brooke McCarty scored 23 points and No. 3-seed Texas (25-8) beat North Carolina State (23-9) in Austin Texas.
Notre Dame 88, Purdue 82: Marina Mabrey scored 21 points as Notre Dame (32-3) held on for an overtime win against Purdue (2313) in South Bend, Ind.
Oklahoma City Region
Mississippi State 92, DePaul 71: Blair Schaefer scored 18 points and Jazzmun Holmes added 14 as Mississippi State (31-4) beat DePaul (27-8) in Starkville, Miss. Second-seeded Mississippi State used a 14-0 run in the middle of the third quarter to turn a tight game into a 61-43 advantage.
Stockton Region
South Carolina 71, Arizona State 68: A’ja Wilson scored 21 points, including the put back that gave South Carolina (29-4) the lead for good to help the No. 1 seed Gamecocks beat eight-seed Arizona State (20-13) in Columbia, S.C.
Florida State 77, Missouri 65: Shakayla Thomas scored 20 points and third-seeded Florida State advanced with the victory against No. 6 seed Missouri in Tallahassee, Fla.
Oregon State 64, Creighton 52: Sydney Wiese scored 13 points and Gabriella Hanson added 13 as the Beavers (31-4) defeated the Bluejays (24-7) in Corvallis, Ore.