Mavunga’s rebounding gives OSU the edge
The reminders for Stephanie Mavunga have been constant.
In practice, in games and in conversations with Ohio State staff members, somehow the topic always shifts to rebounding.
“It’s like a broken record,” the senior forward said. “I hear it every single day, all the time. (Assistant) coach (Patrick) Klein will text me in the middle of the day, (when) I’m in class, ‘Rebound.’”
Mavunga listened. Plays off were few and far between for her as she made 26 rebounds — 14 offensive — and scored 17 points to punish a young Stanford team in an 85-64 Ohio State win Friday night before 5,854 at St. John Arena in the opener for both teams.
Ohio State’s November is a daunting set of challenges, with three games against ranked opponents already set and the possibility for five depending on outcomes in the Play4KayClassic in Las Vegas over Thanksgiving weekend.
The fifth-ranked Buckeyes cleared their first major nonconference hurdle with little resistance.
Shooting accuracy wasn’t a strength — the Buckeyes shot just 34.5 percent from the field — but Ohio State buried No. 10 Stanford on effort plays. The Buckeyes made 28 offensive rebounds while allowing just nine and produced 32 second-chance points to the Cardinal’s two.
Senior guard Kelsey Mitchell scored 30 points to pass Katie Smith for No. 2 on Ohio State’s all-time scoring list behind Jantel Lavender. Sierra Calhoun and Linnae Harper each scored 15. Brittany McPhee led Stanford with 24.
Mitchell summed up a dominant yet imperfect night for the Buckeyes: “A little out of sync, out of whack like Coach (Kevin McGuff) said, but Steph made it better for all of us.”
Before the season, Mavunga improved herself. Noticeably slimmer and more agile, her performance went beyond simple rebounds under the rim. She tiptoed the baseline and raced in transition to grab a few high-degree-of-difficulty boards.
“She’s in the best shape of her life. She’s changed her body,” McGuff said. “She couldn’t get 26 rebounds in any of her first three playing seasons, but she committed to changing her body and getting in great shape, and now you look at she moves a little better, she goes out of her area to get rebounds and she tracks more rebounds down.”
Mavunga, who frequently practices in a hooded sweatshirt, said the changes in her stamina and how she feels on the court are noticeable.
“Even in a hoodie it’s like three extra pounds, and that’s like, ‘Dang, I carried 15 extra pounds last year?’ ” she said. “I just don’t know how I do it because sometimes I feel heavy with (a sweatshirt), but when I’m out there (in games) I feel so much better.”
The Buckeyes, whose lead never fell below 10 points in the final 17 minutes, feel better about themselves after opening night, but another test, against No. 9 Louisville at Nationwide Arena, awaits Sunday.
“We’ve been preparing for Stanford for weeks,” McGuff said. “And so now it’s one day and we’re going to be playing a great team in Louisville.”