#14 Ohio State 71, #10 TCU 69
Despite a tough first half, the Buckeyes were able to defeat a TCU team in a battle of Top 15 teams in the nation.
Both teams struggled early, as TCU committed three turnovers in the first few minutes, while Ohio State went 2-for-8 before the first media timeout. Ohio State missed several layups as TCU took a four-point lead with 4:47 left in the first quarter. The Buckeyes continued to struggle after the timeout as they went almost the remainder of the quarter without a field goal as TCU’s defense tightened. Phillipsburg’s own Olivia Miles started well, finishing the opening quarter with nine points and five rebounds as the Horned Frogs held an 18-8 lead.
Ohio State opened the second with two straight threes from Chance Gray as they looked to get back into the game after a dismal first quarter. However, besides Gray, the rest of the Buckeyes were not hitting shots as TCU also struggled to shoot, and their turnover issues continued. Gray’s third trey of the quarter pulled Ohio State to within two as she singlehandedly kept the Buckeyes in the game.
Shots started to fall as both squads began to feel it from the field. But once again, Ohio State’s inability to hit point-blank shots prevented them from moving ahead in the game. While they struggled in the paint, they drew fouls in the second quarter, going 7-for-8 from the free-throw line, as TCU led 36-33 at the half. Miles led the way for TCU with 11 points and nine rebounds while Gray dropped 17 points to lead Ohio State.
Similar to Gray and Ohio State in the second quarter, Miles was the only effective offensive player for TCU in the third quarter as Ohio State pulled to within two at the 4:30 mark. As the Horned Frogs were in the middle of a 1-of-9 stretch from the field, Ohio State pulled to within one as they dominated on the offensive boards. Else Lemmilä put Ohio State on top, but Miles hit two free throws to put TCU back in front. Jaloni Cambridge hit a mid-range jumper to put the Horned Frogs in front, but Taylor Bigby hit a buzzer-beating three to give TCU a 49-47 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Lemmilä scored on a steal and a lay-up to even the game at 49, which started a 7-0 run for the Buckeyes to give them a 54-49 lead early in the fourth quarter. TCU countered as Bigby tied the game at 54 with another three-pointer, but Kylee Kitts hit a layup to put Ohio State in the lead once again.
As the game entered the final media timeout, the score was tied at 60-60, with three lead changes in the last quarter. Ohio State started doubling Miles to see which other TCU players would step up. Miles refused to relent, hitting a driving layup to tie the game, only to be answered by a three from Kennedy Cambidge. After two free throws from Jaloni Cambridge, Miles missed a driving jumper, and on Ohio State’s next possession, Gray again made a big play, hitting a three to put the Buckeyes ahead 70-66 with 15.3 seconds left in regulation. TCU got one final chance as Veronica Sheffey hit a high-arching, glass-hitting three, where a foul might have been called but was not, as the Horned Frogs held on.
Miles finished with a game-high 24 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists in front of a home-state crowd. Clara Silva added 12 points and eight rebounds for TCU. Gray scored 22 points, going 6-of-8 from three, for Ohio State, while Jaloni Cambridge finished with 18 points and eight assists.
Miles was among five players from the Garden State who played on Monday, and she was asked about the support she had in the stands.
“I kind of heard them when my name got called during starting lineups,” said Miles. “It was a really surreal feeling to know that I have a village behind me, and it means a lot. It’s just amazing to be able to play a game in front of them and see them and give them all the hugs and kisses.”
#5 Vanderbilt 72, #8 Michigan 69
Going into the second game of the day, questions still surrounded Vanderbilt about how good they are, given their 18-0 record. This game against a ranked Michigan team, a non-conference foe on a neutral court, would answer many questions for a national audience. In the game of the day, Vanderbilt pulled out their toughest win of the season.
Vanderbilt held a 10-8 lead going into the first media timeout of the game. The Commodores held on to that lead throughout the first quarter as Toms River native Justine Pissott led the way with 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc as Vanderbilt led 21-17 at the end of the first quarter.
Somerset native and Rutgers Prep alum Mikayla Blakes opened the second quarter with a three-point play to extend Vanderbilt’s lead as they looked to start the quarter hot. As the quarter continued, Vanderbilt started to pull away, shooting north of 60 percent from the field as they held a 15-point lead with 4:45 left before halftime.
Michigan went on a 7-0 run out of the media timeout, but Aubrey Galvan hit a three-pointer to stop the Wolverine momentum and push the Vanderbilt lead back out to double-digits. After scoring 26 points in the quarter, the Commodores held a 47-30 lead at halftime as Galvan led the way with 12 points in the opening half.
“She [Galvan] makes everyone on the floor around her better, and she is a relentless competitor,” said Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph. “You guys saw that today; she loved the big moments. And she’s only a freshman.”
Syla Swords opened the scoring for Michigan in the second half, making a three-pointer and hopefully starting a comeback for the Wolverines. While the Wolverines started making shots, particularly from Swords, they couldn’t get stops on defense, and Vanderbilt kept the lead in double digits.
Michigan continued to chip away and got the deficit down to eight after a steal and layup by Brooke Quarles Daniels, as Ralph called a timeout with 1:46 left in the third quarter. The Commodores continued to struggle offensively, going over four minutes without a point and committing four turnovers during that stretch, as they clung to a 61-53 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Michigan turned up the pressure defensively, forcing two early turnovers to cut the lead to four. A Kendall Dudley layup on a precision bounce pass from Mila Holloway cut the deficit to two as the Commodores were having trouble scoring points. Two Blakes’ free throws put the Vanderbilt lead at four and ended the scoring drought, but Ewing native Te’Yala Delfosse hit two free throws of her own on the next Michigan possession. The Commodores scored on consecutive possessions, capped off by a Galvan three to make the lead 70-63 for Vanderbilt with 2:22 left in regulation.
Swords hit a running baseline jumper to cut the Commodore lead to 71-67 with under a minute to go. On Vanderbilt’s ensuing possession, Blakes had the ball stolen by Dudley, who converted on a breakaway layup as Michigan trailed by two. Vanderbilt had to disjointed possessions that gave Michigan a chance to tie the game or take the lead. In a frantic possession, Olivia Olson’s throw was off target and went out of bounds to Vanderbilt. Galvan hit one of two free throws as Michigan had one final shot to tie the game, but Swords was unable to nail the shot as the Commodores survived in Newark.
“When you’re a great team, you’ve got to do that. You’ve got to grind it out sometimes,” said Vanderbilt coach Shea Ralph. “I can tell you one thing, though, without Mikayla and Justine, the Jersey natives, there’s no way our program or our team this year would be in the position that it’s in. I’m grateful to be their coach. I’m so proud of my team today for the victory, and just happy to be part of this event.”
Galvan led Vanderbilt with a career-high 20 points, while New Jersey’s own Blakes and Pissot each added 14 points, with Pissot finishing with eight rebounds and five assists. With the win, Vanderbilt moved to 19-0 on the season, continuing their best start in program history.
For Pissot and Blakes, being back in Jersey meant just one thing.
“We ordered a bagel from Wawa the first night,” said Blakes.
For Michigan, Swords and Dudley each finished with 16 points as the Wolverines dominated in the paint (38-26) and grabbed 18 offensive rebounds.
“We put ourselves in a position a couple of times to win the game. We just didn’t get the shots to fall down the stretch,” said Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico, former head coach of FDU-Madison and NJIT during her career. When asked what she would do during her time back in New Jersey prior to Michigan’s game against Rutgers on Thursday, she had many ideas.
“I’ve only been here a couple of hours, but I can’t wait to do some Jersey things. I’m definitely going to have a Taylor Ham, Egg, and Cheese; that’s definitely coming. We’re in Newark, so maybe I’ll hit up Ironbound and get myself some paella.”
