Ohio State relies on defense for Big Ten Tournament win vs Minnesota: Takeaways
· Yahoo Sports
INDIANAPOLIS - No. 5 seed Ohio State women's basketball avenged its regular-season loss to No. 4 Minnesota, defeating the Golden Gophers 60-55 on March 6 to advance to the Big Ten Tournament's semifinals.
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Here are three takeaways from the Buckeyes' quarterfinals victory:
Elsa Lemmila, Ohio State shut down Minnesota's Sophie Hart
When the Buckeyes fell 74-61 to Minnesota in the regular season, Golden Gophers center Sophie Hart dominated on the post, recording 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Hart went into halftime of the quarterfinals matchup already securing another double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, though failed to make another shot from the field in the second half.
Held to just 2 second-half points off free throws, the 6-foot-5 center did manage to finish the game with 19 boards, helping Minnesota outrebound Ohio State 44-27.
But Ohio State center Elsa Lemmila's contribution in shutting Hart down on the offensive end proved to be more impactful than Hart's rebounding. In the second half, Lemmila stopped letting the Minnesota center get behind her on the block and used her slight height advantage, standing at 6-6, to contest Hart's shots.
Without Hart finding easy baskets around the rim, Minnesota had just eight points in the paint during the second half, compared to Ohio State's 16.
Ohio State compensates for rebounding struggle with forced turnovers
The Buckeyes led the Big Ten in average steals in the regular season, grabbing 12 per game in addition to forcing an average of 21.9 turnovers. However, Minnesota's nine turnovers in the regular-season game were the fewest an opponent has recorded against Ohio State this season.
Ohio State knew the chances of winning the rebounding battle over Minnesota were slim, as the Golden Gophers' average of 39.4 rebounds, while the Buckeyes grab just 36.7 per game.
Having the disadvantage on the boards, the Buckeyes needed to rely on turnovers for extra possessions and found success executing their strategy in the quarterfinals.
The Buckeyes forced Minnesota to record 21 turnovers, a season-high for the Golden Gophers, which led to 15 points. Guard Kennedy Cambridge accounted for six of Ohio State's 16 steals.
Ohio State spread the offense in the second half
While Lemmila and point guard Jaloni Cambridge matched for a team-high 17 points, in the second half, the offense was spread across the entire starting lineup.
Outside of Kennedy Cambridge, all of Ohio State's starters notched at least four points in the second half, with guard Ava Watson scoring all eight of her points during the final 20 minutes.
The Buckeyes' ball movement was improved both around the perimeter and down low for the entire game, as the Buckeyes recorded 17 assists, eight coming in the second half.
"It's interesting," Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. "I thought we shared the ball really well, and at times I thought we passed on some layups and [kicked] it out, but I would probably rather see that than the alternative of not sharing the ball."
The Buckeyes finished going 37.5% from the field (12-for-32) in the second half, and 40.6% overall (26-for-64).
Ohio State will face No. 1 seed UCLA, who is undefeated in Big Ten play, in the semifinals on March 7. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State defeats Minnesota, advances to Big Ten semifinals: Takeaways