First Posted: 3/23/2015
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Ohio State spent the entire second half clawing back from a huge deficit against North Carolina, finally pulling even with the Tar Heels.
And then, in the span of a few seconds, the Buckeyes went from hopeful to heartbroken.
The Tar Heels beat Ohio State 86-84 on Monday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, blowing a 23-point lead before winning it on freshman Jamie Cherry’s jumper with 0.6 seconds remaining.
“When you invest that much in a game and you don’t win it,” Buckeyes coach Kevin McGuff said, “it’s going to sting.”
Ameryst Alston had 30 points for the fifth-seeded Buckeyes (24-11), who never led but tied it twice during a frantic final minute — the last coming when Kelsey Mitchell’s free throws made it 84-all with 5.1 seconds left.
“I never thought that we were out of the game,” Mitchell said, “but I did think when we buckled down and played defense like we’re supposed to, we can make something happen.”
Allisha Gray inbounded to Cherry, who raced down the right sideline through the Ohio State pressure and pulled up for an 18-footer that swished through.
It was the second clutch shot this month for the freshman, who hit a 40-footer at the regulation buzzer to force overtime in an eventual loss to Louisville on March 6 in an Atlantic Coast Conference quarterfinal.
“It was the same feeling,” Cherry said. “I still was nervous.”
Several members of North Carolina’s bench ran onto the court in celebration before the buzzer sounded. The Buckeyes didn’t get a shot off before the horn. According to Rule 10, Sect. 4, Article 7 of the NCAA rulebook, such a delay in a game shall be ignored “when the delay does not interfere with play.”
Mitchell, the nation’s leading scorer, finished with 25 points and Alexa Hart added 15 points and 10 rebounds for Ohio State.
Stephanie Mavunga had a career-high 27 points and 14 rebounds, Gray added 20 points and Brittany Rountree had 15 for the fourth-seeded Tar Heels (26-8), who advanced to a Greensboro Regional semifinal matchup against top-seeded South Carolina (32-2) on Friday night.
The Buckeyes spent the entire second half chipping away at the Tar Heels’ big lead. Mitchell hit a 3 with 40.4 seconds remaining that made it 82-all — the first tie since the opening minute.
Latifah Coleman put North Carolina back up with a pull-up jumper with 12 seconds left. Mitchell then drove the lane and was tied up by Mavunga — who was called for a foul, sending the Ohio State freshman to the line.
Mitchell, who averages 25 points, leads an up-tempo Buckeyes team that ranks fifth nationally with an average of 81 points. They certainly met their match in the Tar Heels — who have been rebounding and running for Hall of Fame coach Sylvia Hatchell for almost 30 years.
“I told them at halftime, what did we have, an 18-, 19-point lead at halftime,” Hatchell said of a 50-32 score at the break. “That’s nothing to this (Ohio State) team. … They’re not going to go away. They’re going to come after you.”
