Ohio State women’s basketball did the unthinkable — well, the unthinkable for 16 seasons.
The No. 3 Buckeyes knocked out No. 2 UConn, 73-61, to snap the Huskies' Elite Eight streak at 16 seasons and the Final Four run after 14 in a row. The last time UConn didn't reach the regional finals was 2005 after a Sweet 16 loss to Stanford. The Huskies hadn't missed the Final Four since 2007.
Meanwhile, Ohio State will appear in its first Elite Eight since 1993.
The Buckeyes pulled it off by doing what they do best — forcing turnovers. Ohio State is 22-0 when the opposition commits 18 or more turnovers. UConn had 18 in the first half and finished with 25 total.
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In the first two rounds, James Madison and North Carolina turned it over a combined 39 times against the Buckeyes.
Freshman Cotie McMahon topped the Buckeyes with 23 points, and Jacy Sheldon followed with 17 points with 10 of 10 free throws.
Lou Lopez Senechal scored a game-high 25 points but also committed three turnovers. Nika Muhl, who was second in the nation in assists, turned it over seven times with five assists.
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Just a year removed from the national championship game, the Huskies' topsy-turvy season comes to end. First former Player of the Year Paige Bueckers went down with a season-ending knee injury. Azzi Fudd came into the season poised to take the lead...but went down with a knee injury in the second game of the season. Fudd played a total of 16 games.
Ohio State, however, keeps its unbelievable season rolling. The Buckeyes set a program record by getting off to a 16-0 start. While their momentum fell off a bit, taking seven losses in their last 13 games, Ohio State remained steady. In the first round, No. 14 James Madison took an early 15-point lead. That didn’t deter the Buckeyes, and neither did a legacy program like UConn.
