Ohio State pulls off 81-79 win over Michigan in Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal

There's an old adage that gets repeated ad nauseam at this time of year in college basketball.

It's hard to beat a team three times in a season, the theory goes. When two teams meet for the third time, typically in a conference tournament, those who believe in the theory expect the team that lost the first two to emerge victorious from the third game.

Twice in the regular season, the Ohio State women's basketball team beat Michigan — once in Columbus, on Dec. 31, and once in Ann Arbor on Feb. 20. On Friday afternoon at the Target Center in Minneapolis, in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament, the Buckeyes and the Wolverines faced each other for the third time.

Ohio State, the fourth seed in the tournament, took the lead late in a back-and-forth first quarter and fended off a comeback attempt from Michigan, the No. 5 seed, over the game's frenetic final few minutes to win 81-79. It is the first time the Buckeyes have ever beaten the Wolverines three times in a season.

After losing at the last second to Maryland last Friday, the final game of the regular season, Ohio State entered the conference tournament carrying the ending against the Terrapins as motivation. On Friday, the Buckeyes again found themselves in a tightly-contested late-game situation, and this time, they pulled off the narrow victory, led by 28 points and 12 rebounds from freshman forward Cotie McMahon.

"Incredible player," coach Kevin McGuff said. "It’s been a long time since I’ve seen somebody that young play so hard. She competes on every possession."

Michigan last led 15-14 with 4:29 left in the first quarter, but at the 6:26 mark of the fourth, a 3-pointer from Maddie Nolan gave the Wolverines the lead again, 70-68. From that point, the teams traded blows as each side battled to pull ahead for good.

With the game tied at 76 points apiece, with 1:18 left to play, senior guard Jacy Sheldon, who has appeared in just six games this season while battling a lower-leg injury, made a 3-pointer to put Ohio State back ahead. On the next play, McMahon forced a steal and fed senior guard Taylor Mikesell for a transition layup.

Another 3-pointer from Nolan made it a two-point game with under 30 seconds left. Michigan got the ball back after a turnover by McMahon with 23.7 seconds left and looked to force overtime, but the Buckeyes got the stop on the game's final possession.

"(I was thinking about) getting a stop without fouling," sophomore guard Taylor Thierry said. "We knew if we fouled, they were going to go to the line and could’ve had an opportunity to tie the game. Just being aggressive but not overly aggressive to where they get a call."

In a game where she was a dominant presence throughout, it came as no surprise that McMahon was a key facet of the final defensive stand; she blocked one shot and grabbed the final defensive rebound as the buzzer sounded.

"We gave up two baskets by not guarding the basket in our underneath out-of-bounds defense prior in the game, so I was concerned about that," McGuff said. "I was screaming about that and making sure we didn’t do the same thing and give them a layup. We forced them to shoot over us, which was the goal."

As a result of the win, Ohio State will face top-seeded Indiana, which beat the Buckeyes twice in the regular season, in a semifinal at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. The Hoosiers won their quarterfinal 94-85 against No. 9-seed Michigan State.

"Obviously, they beat us two times in a row," McMahon said. "I feel like for us, it’s kind of personal. Coming out tomorrow, we’re going to have to focus on the little things, (like) guarding the ball way better than we did tonight."

Sheldon was unavailable for the first two meetings against Indiana. She isn't on a specific minutes restriction, but McGuff said they're looking to limit the length of the stretches Sheldon is in the game. The Buckeyes are able to play faster and are more efficient on offense when they have Sheldon on the floor, and their trademark press is made all the more lethal by having Sheldon's speed, quick hands and high IQ involved.

If the Buckeyes are able to come up with a different outcome in the third meeting against the Hoosiers, any contribution they get from Sheldon will be crucial. She played 13 minutes against Michigan, finishing with five points, two rebounds and a steal.

"She’s just an amazing player, offensively and defensively," Thierry said. "She adds that energy that we really need and she keeps us focused and connected. She’s great on the press too, so there’s just so many areas that I can go on and on about how she helps us as a team. We’re honestly so happy that she’s back."

bjohnson@dispatch.com

@BaileyAJohnson_

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State tops Michigan 81-79 in Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal