UCLA went on the road and held off a good Ohio State team in a top-15 matchup Monday night.
The Bruins’ 77-71 win showed why they are the No. 2 team in the country, led by a strong defensive showing and a stellar performance from standout transfer Lauren Betts.
No. 13 Ohio State (9-2) didn’t have an answer for UCLA’s defense in the second and third quarters and couldn’t get into its pressure consistently to get the Bruins out of rhythm until it was too late.
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The Bruins (10-0) will host Hawaii on Dec. 21, their last game before Pac-12 play, and Ohio State will host Belmont on Dec. 22, its last game before Big Ten play.
We knew UCLA could score, but it won on the back of its defense
UCLA came into Monday’s contest averaging 92 points per game, but it was the defense that won this game for the Bruins.
Ohio State’s shooting percentage (38.5 percent from the floor) was poor, but beyond that, it never got consistent open looks against UCLA. Betts was a difference maker in the middle of the Bruins defense, tallying five blocks and changing the direction of multiple other shots the Buckeyes wanted to put up.
The offseason addition of the former Stanford center Betts doesn’t just help with rim protection, it allows UCLA’s guards to play with more perimeter pressure in its zone which gave Ohio State trouble. The Buckeyes are known for forcing turnovers — they have 22 forced on the season — but UCLA did its fair share, as well. UCLA forced 17 on Monday, one more than Ohio State, and turned those into 19 points.
UCLA can score with the best teams in the country, but if there was any concern about this being the Bruins’ first major road test, they passed it with flying colors. And if this continues, UCLA is going to be a hard team to beat this season, even more difficult in March.
Ohio State still a work in progress on offense
The Buckeyes have Final Four aspirations this year. They return much of the Elite Eight team from a year ago but are still trying to find a replacement for Taylor Mikesell’s production.
Mikesell, who was drafted by Indiana Fever, was the team’s leading scorer last year and an elite shooter. Monday showed that the Buckeyes are still looking for an answer in the halfcourt.
Jacy Sheldon had a good day, finishing with 30 points on 12-of-23 shooting, but nobody else could get going in the second and third quarters. Last year’s freshman All-American, Cotie McMahon, struggled from the field. She made her first shot, a 3-pointer, and missed her next 12 attempts before hitting another 3 in the fourth quarter. She finished with 7 points, as the UCLA interior defense made things difficult for her all night.
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Ohio State got more offense going in the fourth quarter, cutting the UCLA 22-point lead to 6 and Taylor Thierry was a big part of that. She finished the game with 17 points and nine of those came in the fourth quarter. Sheldon also caught fire in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 points in that final slate. The success of the press helped Ohio State too, but its ball movement and screens were more effective in the fourth quarter. Its inconsistency in the second and third quarters, however, hurt any chance Ohio State had of keeping up with UCLA.
Ohio State has talent on offense, but it’s still rounding into shape on that end of the floor and UCLA didn’t make it easy.
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(Photo: Kirk Irwin / Getty Images)
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