While Mara Braun’s right foot is on the mend, the Gophers women’s basketball team continues to struggle to find its way on offense.
The latest example: a 71-47 loss to No. 5-ranked Ohio State at Williams Arena Thursday. Thanks to some tenacious Gophers defense, it was a five-point game at the half. But Ohio State (20-3 overall, 11-1 in the Big Ten) took advantage of Gophers turnovers while winning their 10th straight game going away.
The Gophers (14-9, 4-8) lost their fifth straight.
Braun was back in Williams Arena, but she had her surgically-repaired right foot in a boot and was using crutches to get around.
Without her, the Gophers struggled to score and committed a season-high 23 turnovers. Ohio State broke open the game with a 26-7 third quarter that turned that five-point lead into a 55-31 Buckeyes dominance.
The quarter began with a 20-5 OSU run, with 10 of those points coming off Gophers turnovers. The final tally: the Buckeyes out-scored the Gophers 26-6 on points off turnovers in the game.
Four of five Ohio State starters scored in double figures: Celeste Taylor (14), Jacy Sheldon (12), Cotie McMahon (13) and Rebeka Mikulasikova (11).
Janay Sanders (16) was the only Gophers player in double figures.
Despite shooting just a shade over 35% and turning the ball over five times, the Gophers trailed by just a point, 14-13, after the first quarter.
The reason: Ohio State shot worse. With the Gophers hustling on defense and rebounding well, the Buckeyes shot just 5-for-19 (26.3%) in the first ten minutes.
Ohio State didn’t do much better in the second, shooting 6-for-15 in the second quarter to finish the half at 32.4%. But the Gophers struggled to hold onto the ball, turning it over six times in the second.
The Gophers were within two when Ohio State went on a 9-2 run, with Sheldon starting and ending it and getting seven of OSU’s nine points in the run. The Buckeyes scored seven of those nine points off Gophers turnovers. But Amaya Battle set up Grace Grocholski and Nia Holloway for baskets, then hit two free throws in a 6-2 run to end the half, drawing Minnesota within 29-24.