45- point effort leads Ohio St.
Ohio State is headed to the Sweet 16. For that, it can thank Kelsey Mitchell.
Mitchell scored 45 points — the fourth- highest total ever in NCAA play — to lead the Buckeyes to an 88- 81 win over West Virginia in Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday. She was 11- for- 32 from the field, including 5- for- 12 from beyond the threepoint arc.
“She’s obviously very difficult to guard,” Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff said. “She handles the ball and has got speed and quickness like nobody else in college basketball. West Virginia’s a great team. They’re a really good defensive team, but I think we were able to play in transition and just play with enough spacing to give her opportunities to drive the ball.”
As the game wound down, the only one who could stop Mitchell was Mitchell herself, as she missed 11 consecutive shots. She was 5- for- 20 from the field in the second half, including missing 10 of 11 in the fourth quarter.
“Just a little fatigue settled in,” Mitchell said. “I lost a little focus as far as keeping my eye on the glass and finishing the easy baskets. I think my teammates did a good job of picking me up, though.”
Forward Shayla Cooper added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Buckeyes ( 26- 7), who will play Tennessee on Friday in Sioux Falls, S. D.
Bria Holmes led West Virginia ( 25- 10) with 21 points. Tynice Martin had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Teana Muldrow added 15 points.
The Buckeyes forced 27 West Virginia turnovers, leading to 40 of their points. Ohio State committed only nine turnovers.
More Sioux Falls
Tennessee 75, ASU 64: Diamond DeShields scored 24 points and the seventh- seeded Lady Vols ( 21- 13) completed their improbable run to the Sweet 16 by knocking off the host Sun Devils ( 26- 7), the No. 2 seed. Tennessee shot 52 percent and outscored Arizona State 42- 27 inside to earn a spot in South Dakota. Berkeley High alum Elisha Davis had 18 points for Arizona State. South Carolina 73, Kansas State 47: Tiffany Mitchell scored 16 of her 20 points in the first two quarters as the topseeded Gamecocks ( 33- 1) breezed into a Sweet 16 matchup with Syracuse. South Carolina romped in its first two NCAA Tournament games, beating Jacksonville by 36 before routing the Wildcats ( 19- 13). Syracuse 76, Albany 59: Brittney Sykes scored nine of her 24 points to spark a decisive third- quarter run as the Orange ( 27- 7) defeated the visiting Great Danes ( 28- 5). Sykes, whose previous two seasons ended with knee injuries, had a gasp- inducing moment with four minutes left when she came up limping after falling hard to the court. She got up and hit both free throws. Shereesha Richards scored 23 points to lead Albany.
Dallas Regional
Oregon State 69, St. Bonaventure 40: Jamie Weisner broke out of a slump and scored 23 points to help the host Beavers ( 29- 4) outscore the Bonnies 21- 4 in the third quarter and advance to a Sweet 16 matchup with DePaul. Sydney Wiese added eight points, six rebounds and six assists and Ruth Hamblin had 16 rebounds for second- seeded Oregon State.
DePaul 73, Louisville 72: Jessica January scored 18 of her 25 points in the first half as the Blue Demons ( 27- 8) advanced with a win over the host Cardinals ( 26- 8). January’s final point was the decisive margin as she made the second of two free- throw tries with 14.5 seconds left. She also had eight rebounds and five assists. Briahanna Jackson led Louisville with 20 points.
Baylor 84, Auburn 52: Nina Davis scored 10 of the Lady Bears’ points during a 12- 0 second- quarter run and finished with 30 points to help host and top- seed Baylor ( 35- 1) to its eighth straight Sweet 16. Alexis Jones contributed 16 points, seven steals and six assists for the Lady Bears.
Bridgeport Regional
Mississippi State 74, Michigan State 72: Breanna Richardson hit a three- pointer with 34 seconds left to put her team ahead for good and Victoria Vivians scored 24 points as the host Bulldogs ( 28- 7) held off the Spartans ( 25- 9). Richardson had made only two three- pointers this season before her big shot.