After opening the season with a tough game against #5 Notre Dame that they came up short in, the #15 Ohio State women’s basketball team has won four in a row at home. While the wins are nice, they have come against substandard competition that didn’t really provide a test. The same could not be said about today’s game as the Buckeyes visited #22 North Carolina as part of the Big Ten-ACC challenge. The Tarheels are not only a talented team but they present a contrast in styles, preferring a more up-tempo game. The Buckeyes can run, not as much as they did last year of course, but when forced into their half-court game they prefer to be more methodical and generate good shots off of ball movement.
North Carolina won the tip and immediately hit a basket to start the game but Ohio State scored off of an Amber Stokes jumper on their first trip down the floor to set the tone for what would be a back-and-forth first half. After an Ashley Adams jumper gave OSU a 4-2 lead, UNC ran off 5 straight points to take a 7-4 lead two and a half minutes into the game. The two teams traded baskets for the next seven minutes before the Buckeyes went on a 7 to 0 run to take a 15-11 lead at the midpoint of the half. The Tarheels came right back with five straight to retake the lead only to lose it again a few minutes later as OSU went up 25-22 with four minutes left until the break. The Buckeye offense stalled at this point though and North Carolina closed out the half with seven straight points to go into the locker room up 29-25.
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