MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The night got off to a rough start for fifth-ranked Ohio State when the bus they were taking to Williams Arena was stuck in traffic.
Once they finally got to The Barn, Rachel Banham and Carlie Wagner made it even tougher on the Buckeyes.
Banham scored 35 points in her final game at Williams Arena and Wagner scored with 0.8 seconds left in overtime to lift Minnesota to a 90-88 victory on Wednesday night.
The Buckeyes’ high-octane offense seemed to get stuck just like that bus in their first loss in 12 games. Ohio State (23-5, 15-2 Big Ten) shot 41 percent and the high-scoring duo of Ameryst Alston and Kelsey Mitchell combined to go 12 for 41 from the floor.
“We had to rush and everyone was kind of not in their game-ready routine,” said Buckeyes forward Shayla Cooper, who led the way with 25 points and 11 rebounds. “I’m not blaming it on that. At the end of the day, when the tipoff goes you have to be ready to go no matter what. We should’ve won.”
Or lost sooner than they did. Ohio State was down two with 0.5 seconds left in regulation when Jessie Edwards putback a miss from Banham. Alexa Hart scored on a backdoor lob at the end of regulation to force overtime, but they managed just one field goal in the extra session before Wagner scored on a pull-up from the baseline.
The final bucket gave Wagner 26 points for the night and came with Banham on the bench after she fouled out.
“I just feel like I have a responsibility to step up when Rachel’s out, especially in a tight situation like that,” Wagner said. “I just had to be aggressive and get to the basket. I got angry and wanted to get in there.”
The Buckeyes entered the game second in the nation in scoring offense at 87.3 points per game, fourth in field goal percentage (48.9) and winners of 19 of their last 20 games. Ameryst Alston was coming off of a 39-point game in a win over Illinois and Mitchell had 35 as well for the run-and-gun Buckeyes. Only one time in their last seven games had they won by fewer than 10 points and they had won their previous two games by a combined 69 points.
All that offense came to a screeching halt in the first half. Ohio State shot 35 percent, went 1 for 11 from 3-point range and managed just 34 points. Alston had six and missed seven of her nine shots and Mitchell was 1 for 8.
“She’s such a great player, but she just struggled a bit from the perimeter,” coach Kevin McGuff said of Mitchell, who was 3 for 14 on 3-pointers. “She usually shoots the ball better, but sometimes it’s like that. We had our chances.”
Hart finished with 14 points and 17 boards for the Buckeyes. Mitchell scored 21 points on 6-for-24 shooting, but she couldn’t get a shot off on the last possession and Ohio State missed a chance to clinch a share of the Big Ten title.
“It’ll be a great reality check for us,” Cooper said. “If we would’ve won this game we would’ve solidified our Big Ten title. So next game, Michigan State, we’re going to be ready.”
REBOUNDING ADVANTAGE
Minnesota grabbed 24 offensive rebounds and won the battle on the glass 53-52 to overcome 36 percent shooting. The Gophers shot 25 percent in the first half, but they attempted 14 more shots in the game thanks to their work on the glass.
“If we would’ve eliminated at least half of those second-chance points it would’ve been a different game,” Cooper said.
SENIOR SWEEP
The Gophers seniors Banham, Mikayla Bailey and Shayne Mullaney have never lost at home to Ohio State.
“I’m so, so happy for our seniors to go out in a game like this,” Gophers coach Marlene Stollings said. “It’s a memory they will remember when they’re 100 years old.”
TIP-INS
Ohio State: Came into the game eighth in the country in 3-point percentage at 37.8, but shot just 23 percent (6 for 26).
Minnesota: The 10 3-pointers pushed the Gophers to 156 on the season, a new conference-only Big Ten record. Ohio State held the previous record with 151 last season. … Edwards had eight of her 12 rebounds on the offensive glass and Joanna Hedstrom added 10 boards for the Gophers.
UP NEXT
Ohio State: Visits Michigan State on Saturday.
Minnesota: Visits Maryland on Sunday.
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