First Quarter
Wellll Lisa Bluder is on this call, so I’m already irritated. If you don’t know who that is, she’s the former Iowa head coach; so I have some opinions. Nebraska’s Logan Nissley gets called for the early foul and then Ohio State hits back to back threes. Amiah Hargrove grabs two points, but Ohio State is running and gunning, I’m not sure how well Nebraska will be able to keep up as the game progresses. Britt Prince gets the steal and finds a wide open Amiah Hargrove for a layup. Callin
Hake will draw Jaloni Cambridge into an offensive and then drills a three (7-11 OSU). Ohio State is getting bailed out by the most egregious fouls I’ve ever seen as a Buckeye plows Claire Johnson over and she gets called for it. Media timeout taken with 4:32 left in the first quarter, OSU is up 13-7.
This style of basketball makes me so incredibly angry. It’s one thing to speed things up, it’s another to just be out of control the whole time and it makes for sloppy basketball. Nebraska is letting Ohio State speed them up and it’s forcing the Huskers to stray away from their style of play. Eliza Maupin had a line drive to the rim, but was too strong off the backboard. Kennadi Williams breaks the OSU press with a nice bounce pass and Prince hits the transition three (10-15 OSU). The Williams to Prince connection has been pure so far today as Prince snipes another three. Hailey Weaver has a chance to get points at the end of the first, but the ball rolls just off the rim. Nebraska is down just six, but a lot of that is in part to Jaloni Cambridge sitting most of the first quarter with two fouls.
Nebraska 13 Ohio State 19
Second Quarter
Amiah Hargrove gets Nebraska started with a tough basket down low. Britt Prince has her defender release off of her and she dribbles to the free throw elbow for the mid range jumper. The Huskers get a stop defensively and it leads to a Logan Nissley three that puts Nebraska up one (20-19). The Buckeyes call a timeout with 8:32 left in the second quarter.
Ohio State has retaken the lead by six after Nebraska’s defense just absolutely vanished. The effort plays are not there for Nebraska like they are for the Buckeyes. The Huskers break the press and get it into the paint for Amiah Hargrove to notch two more points. Kennadi Williams pick pockets an Ohio State defender and Hargrove makes good on it with a three, it’s back to a two point game. Callin Hake hits a back door cutting Eliza Maupin for two (29-34 OSU). The lob pass into Emily Fisher is perfect and Fisher finishes at the rim for her first points of the game. Nebraska ends the first half down eight points.
Nebraska 31 Ohio State 39
Halftime Stats
Amiah Hargrove: 11 points, 2 rebounds
Britt Prince: 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
Callin Hake: 4 rebounds
Eliza Maupin: 3 rebounds
Nebraska is shooting 37
Nebraska is shooting 37% from the floor, including 42% from beyond the arc. The rebounding battle is currently tied at 20 a piece, Nebraska has 10 turnovers and nine assists.
Third Quarter
Britt Prince rips to the rim and gets fouled hard as she gets hit in the head, she’ll be heading to the line after this review for an upgraded foul. It stays a common foul and Prince hits both free throws (33-41 OSU). Ohio State has just been drilling threes left and right tonight; on the opposite end Eliza Maupin gets the layup to fall. Nebraska had about three chances for points and come away empty handed. Logan Nissley just got put in one of the nastiest spin cycles I’ve seen, unfortunately for her. Callin Hake drills the three to make it a 10 point game and then Nebraska forces a travel on the Buckeyes. There’s nothing Nebraska can do against Ohio State’s three point shooting at this point. Jaloni Cambridge. That is all. Timeout with 4:52 left in the third (40-55 OSU).
Kennadi Williams sniffs out the back door pass and grabs the steal, but Nebraska turns it back over. Just like that Ohio State has a 20 point lead and if I’m being honest, I would really like this game to be over. Writing in blow outs is just not fun, especially when Nebraska is not playing well at all. Williams drives to the hoop, makes the shot and gets fouled. Nebraska comes out with a press of their own, forces the Ohio State turnover, and Maupin gets the layup to fall. Claire Johnson will head to the line after getting fouled, she goes one for two and Nebraska grabs the rebound. Nothing comes of it though as they throw the ball away. Britt Prince has a nice pass to Maupin who gets fouled again and will have a chance at the three point play, she can’t convert. Hargrove gets the buzzer beater layup to go.
Nebraska 54 Ohio State 64
Fourth Quarter
Amiah Hargrove hits the big three to make it a seven point game. Logan Nissley powers her way into the lane and gets fouled as she kisses the ball off glass, she makes her free throw (60-66 OSU). Hargrove gets fouled and will head to the charity stripe where she drains both and pulls the Huskers within four. Eliza Maupin pokes the ball away and Nebraska is headed the other way. Just when Nebraska gives me some hope, Jaloni Cambridge snatches it from me. Prince sends the ball in to Amiah Hargrove for two, but Cambridge comes back with a chance at three (66-73 OSU).
Logan Nissley cleans up Hake’s missed three and then on the other end gets called for the worst call ever. Like I said, hope and then nothing. Nebraska is back down double digits. Nebraska is just shooting themselves in the foot right now. It was a four point game with six minutes left in the game, Nebraska was thinking upset and Ohio State went on a 20-4 run and ruined all of that. In the blink of an eye it has been blown so far open that the three Logan Nissley hits doesn’t even matter. Nebraska is down 19 when the final horn sounds.
Nebraska 71 Ohio State 90
Postgame Stats
Amiah Hargrove: 24 points, 6 rebounds
Britt Prince: 12 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists
Logan Nissley: 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Eliza Maupin: 8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
Callin Hake: 6 points, 4 rebounds
Nebraska shot 41% from the field, including 31% from three. Ohio State won the rebounding battle 36-35, the Huskers turned the ball over 21 times while also assisting on 19 of their shots.
