Ohio State Stuns UConn, Virginia Tech Knocks Off Tennessee

The Buckeyes and Hokies both advanced to the Elite 8 on Saturday.

Ohio State Buckeyes Shut Down UConn 73-61

Lou Lopez Senechal hit a jumper to get the scoring underway. She then knocked down another triple to give UConn a 5-0 lead early. Walker responded driving into the lane for two. Azzi Fudd got on the scoreboard with a three after a broken play that looked like it was going to be a turnover. Then Dorka Juhasz found Aaliyah Edwards wide-open under the basket for an easy two to put UConn up 10-2 four minutes into the game forcing Ohio State to call a timeout.

The Buckeyes were able to respond by forcing UConn into some turnovers with their full-court press. They cut the Huskies’ lead to four before UConn could score again. UConn led 17-9 after Lopez Senechal hit another triple. However, the Buckeyes were able to close out the quarter on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to two at 17-15.

Their defense continued to give the Huskies all types of problems. As they continued to get steals off of their press defense and trapping. Cotie McMahon hit a three to put Ohio State up early in the 2nd quarter 18-17. Ohio State’s defense continued to shut down Connecticut’s offense outscoring them 12-2 over the next several minutes.

A scary moment happened midway through the second period when Lou Lopez Senechal appeared to tweak her knee and crumbled to the ground. She appeared to be in a lot of pain but she did get up and walk off the court under her own power.

Azzi Fudd hit an important three off an offensive rebound to cut the Buckeyes’ double-digit lead down to seven at 30-23. Ohio State finished the half on a 6-3 run to go back up by ten at the break (36-26).

Aaliyah Edwards picked up her 4th foul early into the 2nd half and had to sit for the majority of the 3rd quarter. Her foul trouble severely limited her impact in this game. Edwards finished with just four points and seven rebounds in 17 minutes.

Ohio State maintained its lead throughout the third period. Their press continued to force UConn into turnovers. Edwards's foul trouble really hurt Connecticut but Lopez Senechal and Juhasz rallied the Huskies. Their defense picked up and they were able to score some baskets down in the paint cutting the Buckeyes’ lead down to five at 44-39.

Ohio State kept putting the pressure on, pushing the lead back up to ten at 54-44. UConn wasn’t able to get into any type of offensive rhythm. Cotie McMahon led all scorers with 20 points. Lou Lopez Senechal kept pace with 17 points as the teams entered the final period.

The Buckeyes looked to slam the door on the Huskies’ season with an 8-2 run to begin the 4th quarter. Taylor Mikesell hit a three-pointer. Then Ohio State got a pair of free throws and another triple, this time from Rikki Harris to put them up 16 points (62-46).

Lopez Senechal hit her final three of the game and her college career with 3:42 left in the game to cut the Huskies’ deficit down to nine. UConn couldn’t get any closer than that as the Buckeyes pushed the lead back up to double-digits and finished the game with a 12-point victory.

FINAL: 73-61 Ohio State over Connecticut.

”A great atmosphere to play in. You love to play with this kind of crowd and a great building like this. After our hot start, I think Ohio State just outplayed us. They were really, really good and well prepared.” Geno Auriemma told reporters after the game.

“When they started pressing we got out of control and it was hard for us to come back from that… Nobody wanted the ball. Nobody wanted to get open. They were tougher than us. Rebounded the ball better than us. They made us uncomfortable.” Dorka Juhasz said after the game.

Cotie McMahon was the star of the game. Her size, speed, and athleticism really stood out. She looked like a WNBA player playing against college kids. And the crazy thing is, she is just 18 years old and a Freshman. McMahon finished with a team-high 23 points on 8-17 FG shooting. She also pulled down five rebounds and got to the foul line for seven free throws. Jacy Sheldon (17 points) and Taylor Thierry (11) were the other two Buckeyes to score in double figures.

Lou Lopez Senechal finished with a game-high 25 points on an extremely efficient 69% FG shooting (9-13 FG) including 4-7 FG from beyond the three-point arc. Dorka Juhasz added a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. Azzi Fudd added 14 points but did not shoot the ball well (6-17 FG) and struggled with her decision-making.

Virginia Tech Proves Why They Were #1

Tennessee struggled right out of the gate going scoreless through the first three minutes of the game. This allowed Virginia Tech to quickly a nine-point lead (9-0) to start things off. After trailing 16-6, the Volunteers would finish the first period on a 7-2 run with five of those points coming from Rickea Jackson.

Georgia Amoore had a beautiful drive and finish at the rim. Jordan Horston knocked down a three on the other end. Amoore continued to make nice plays in the second quarter scoring 12 of her team’s 17 points.

The Volunteers were out of sync and they couldn’t get themselves into an offensive rhythm in the first half. They shot just 2-12 FG from beyond the arc. After the game, Jordan Walker talked about how Virginia Tech took them out of their game plan.

”We had good energy for moments. We took 12 three’s before halftime. That’s not us. Hats off to them.” Walker said.

The Hokies took a commanding 35-22 lead into the locker rooms.

Amoore picked up where she left off knocking down another three-pointer to begin the 2nd half. They then got the ball inside to Kitley who scored down low to extend their lead to 18 (40-22). The Vols would go on a 7-2 run over the next several minutes to cut the lead down to 13.

Virginia Tech led 49-40. Tennessee finished the period on a 7-0 run to keep this game within range.

The Volunteers went on another 6-0 run to cut the once 18-point lead down to just four at 51-47 with around eight minutes remaining in the game. Then they were able to cut the lead to just one after Jasmine Powell hit a three-pointer. However, the Hokies had a response. Kayana Traylor got an AND1 layup, then Cayla King was fouled on the three-point line and made all three of her free throws. Traylor hit another midrange jumper to push their lead back up to nine at 61-52.

Amoore just wouldn’t be denied on this evening. She leaped out of nowhere to steal a ball that got the crowd hyped up. She was getting multiple rebounds despite being the smallest player on the court. And she just kept scoring.

Virginia Tech made 10 Free Throws in the final five minutes to put the game away.

FINAL: 73-64 Virginia Tech over Tennessee.

Georgia Amoore finished the game with 29 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Kayana Traylor added 14 points and Kitley finished with 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Horston led the Volunteers with 17 points and Rickea Jackson added 15 points and eight rebounds in the losing effort.

Thoughts on Their Elite 8 Matchup

Ohio State looked really good. Their press completely took UConn out of their game. What’s going to be really interesting is to see how that works against Virginia Tech. Can the Hokies punish Ohio State for pressing more than the Huskies were able to?

When Tennessee clawed its way back into the game after trailing by 18 they did it by increasing its defensive intensity and implementing a full-court press. This allowed them to cut Virginia Tech’s lead down to just one before they just ran out of steam.

After watching both games back-to-back, I can confidently say that Ohio State’s press defense was significantly stronger than Tennessee’s. If you are the Buckeyes, that will certainly be a big part of their strategy for Monday’s matchup. They will need to force Virginia Tech into turnovers and hope to slow down their offense if they hope to come away with the victory.

Both teams scored 73 points in their victories on Saturday. Ohio State had slightly better balance but both teams had three players each score in double figures. The Buckeyes will have to find a way to shut down Georgia Amoore who unleashed 29 points against the Volunteers. Jacy Sheldon will likely get that defensive assignment. Sheldon had an impressive game in her own right. Those two will be key to their teams’ success on Monday.

Virginia Tech will have a size advantage with some of their forwards and of course 6’6” Elizabeth Kitley. Ohio State will have to get physical with her to take her out of her game.

Who’s going to win the game? It’s tough to say. I was more impressed with Ohio State on Saturday but that’s partly because I didn’t predict UConn would be as soundly beaten as they were. And when you’re the #1 seed like Virginia Tech is, you’re supposed to win. By default, it’s not as impressive.

Whichever team is really able to implement their game plan more will find success on the court. Can Freshman Cotie McMahon put forth another 20-point performance? Can anyone on Ohio State slow down Georgia Amoore?

I’ll give the edge to Ohio State but we will find out on Monday!

Saturday’s Draft Prospects

Lou Lopez Senechal - UCONN

Lou has a beautiful stroke with her jump shot. It was silky smooth. She scored a game-high 25 points and really was one of the only Connecticut players to give her best effort in the team’s biggest moment.

She also tweaked her knee pretty badly in the 2nd quarter but returned for the 2nd half of the game where she scored 17 points as she desperately tried to will her team to victory.

Lopez Senechal’s scoring ability certainly stood out. But the rest of her game not so much. She had just two rebounds and two assists. She did not have any blocks or steals. I would have some concerns about her ability to defend in the WNBA.

At 6’1” she does have great size for a guard. And likely could play the two or three in the WNBA. If I had a Top 5 Draft selection, I wouldn’t take her. But a late first-round or early second-round pick, I’d certainly consider it.

Ideally, I’d like a player that can impact the game in more than just one way. Especially, if I’m using a Top 10 draft pick. With that said, if what you need is a player that could provide a spark off the bench with some instant scoring then she would be a good fit for that.

Dorka Juhasz - UCONN

Overall, I liked what I saw from Dorka Juhasz. She was able to seal her defenders down low at times to score some easy baskets. Despite going 0-2 FG from the three-point range she did at least show she has that type of range. She finished the game with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. She also added four assists, two blocks, and three steals. Juhasz was efficient overall connecting on 50% (6-12 FG).

I don’t see a dominant elite player in Juhasz but she is solid and at 6’5” she has excellent size. I do wonder if the athleticism of WNBA players will be a problem for her at the next level.

Like her teammate, I think she should be a late first-round or early second-round pick. From just the one game I got to watch of them in person and up close, I liked her significantly more than Elizabeth Kitley.

Jacy Sheldon - Ohio State

When I double-checked the box score I was a little surprised to see Jacy Sheldon had 17 points. It’s not that she didn’t play well, she did. But the game didn’t feel like she had that much of an impact on the scoring of the game. A deeper dive showed that she made just three shots in the game but she was a perfect 10-10 from the Free Throw line. She did consistently drive hard to the basket and was rewarded for her aggressive play.

Sheldon is 5’10” but is very thin. If she does declare for the WNBA Draft, it’ll be interesting to see how scouts and GMs look at her.

I was impressed with how she was able to do a bit of everything and have an impact in a lot of ways. Her 17 points were the second-highest on the team. She got to the foul line more than any other player on either team. Her seven rebounds were second-most on the team next to Power Forward Eboni Walker’s nine. She led Ohio State with five assists and also had two steals.

Taylor Mikesell - Ohio State

Mikesell didn’t impress me nearly as much compared to what I saw from Sheldon. She was solid scoring nine points but that’s about it. She went 1-5 FG from three-point range. She didn’t have any assists and just one rebound.

If Mikesell does get drafted, I don’t think it would happen before the third round.

Elizabeth Kitley - Virginia Tech

I will say this. I’m happy Virginia Tech won as it’ll give me another chance to scout and watch Elizabeth Kitley. If I’m going to be brutally honest, I didn’t see much that would translate to success in the WNBA. Her 6’6” height is obviously something you can’t teach. But in this game against Tennessee, she did not dominate in the low post as you would expect from a 6’6” center.

She finished the game with 12 points and eight rebounds. Solid numbers. She has a nice shooting touch but her range appears limited to 10-12 FT. More concerning was that she seemed to get bodied and pushed around in the low post at times. And was unable to consistently block out other post players from getting rebounds.

Kitley got beat off the dribble when she had to come out and guard a player outside of the paint. She didn’t have any blocks in this game. And I don’t trust her defense against players with elite athleticism that you’ll see in the WNBA.

Of the two Center prospects, I would take Dorka Juhasz over Elizabeth Kitley. I can see a team taking her in the 2nd round because you can’t teach height. But I wouldn’t use a first-round pick on her.

Rickea Jackson - Tennessee

Rickea Jackson certainly did show off her athleticism in this game. Jackson finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. I liked her footwork inside. She showed some range knocking down a three in this game. She has good height at 6’2”. Between the size, athleticism, speed, scoring, and rebounding ability - there is a lot to like about Jackson.

Jackson recently announced she would be returning to Tennessee for her 5th season so she won’t be a part of this upcoming WNBA Draft. With that said, as long as she continues to improve and develop I expect her to be a first-round pick next season.

Jordon Horston - Tennessee

Horston is also 6’2” like her teammate Jackson but definitely plays much more like a guard. She could certainly play either the two or the three at the next level. I liked her jumper. Despite not shooting the ball particularly well (6-16 FG) it is a smooth shot and her athleticism allows her to get up with a high release point.

Horston did a lot that you like to see. She led her team in scoring (17 points) and assists (3). She also had three steals and a blocked shot. However, there are things she’ll need to continue to work on. She had a game-high seven turnovers and was not as efficient with her shot as you’d like her to be.

I’ve seen Horston mocked as a Top 4 Lottery pick for this upcoming draft so the likelihood that she’ll still be available when Seattle makes their selection at nine is very small. With that said, if she was still on the board when Seattle’s pick comes up I think that would be a very strong selection.