Top-15 Ohio State Too Much for Bruins Friday Afternoon in Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Behind 53 percent shooting and a 12-for-26 performance from beyond the arc, top-15 ranked Ohio State earned an 84-55 home win over the visiting Belmont University women's basketball team Friday afternoon at Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. Despite the Bruins (7-4) holding a lead in the second quarter, the 13th-ranked Buckeyes (10-2, 1-0 Big Ten) outscored Belmont 46-27 in the second half and used a 29-point third quarter to pull away.

The Bruins recovered from an early 6-0 deficit and led by one late in the opening quarter, but a 10-2 Ohio State scoring run to end the first half set the tone for the remainder of the game.
 
After shooting 48 percent (12-of-25) in the first half and holding the Buckeyes to 41.2 percent (14-of-34), Belmont went 7-for-27 (25.9 percent) from the field in the second half. Ohio State shot a blistering 66.7 percent (18-of-27) across the final 20 minutes, including going 8-for-12 from distance.
 
The Bruins trailed 6-0 after two minutes of play before a three-pointer and a layup from junior forward Kendal Cheesman sparked a 12-6 Belmont run. Junior forward Carmyn Harrison put the Bruins up 15-14 with a layup at 2:24 in the first quarter. However, the Buckeyes scored the last seven points in the quarter to take a 21-15 lead into the second stanza.
 
Cheesman scored seven first-quarter points as both teams shot better than 50 percent in the inaugural 10 minutes of action.
 
A 7-0 run to start the second quarter gave the lead back to Belmont as Cheesman sunk another three 90 seconds in. Fellow junior forward Tessa Miller gave the Bruins a 24-22 lead with 7:47 to go in the half before Ohio State scored the next six points. Belmont's two-point lead would be it largest and last of the afternoon.

Tessa does it again! Bruins take the lead ??#ItsBruinTime | #Splashville pic.twitter.com/NR2frJe74N

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) December 22, 2023

A step-through layin from freshman guard Jailyn Banks kept the Bruins within two but the Buckeyes limited Belmont to a single field goal in the last three-and-a-half minutes of the half. Ohio State led 38-28 at the break.

Banks to the bank! @Jailynbanks3 with the step through beauty pic.twitter.com/7ngHolZefD

— Belmont WBasketball (@BelmontWBB) December 22, 2023

Both Cheesman and Miller had 10 points each in the first half, while the Buckeyes' Jacy Sheldon scored 18. The Bruins were 2-for-8 from long range in the first 20 minutes.
 
After a scoreless opening minute of the second half, Ohio State's Celeste Taylor hit a three and Belmont was unable to cut the lead to single digits the rest of the way. Another Buckeye triple put the hosts up 17 at 53-36 just past the midway point of the third quarter.
 
A conventional three-point play by Miller capped a 9-5 Bruin run and made it a 13-point game at 58-45, but Ohio State ended the third on a 9-2 run to take a 20-point, 67-47 advantage into the final quarter. The Buckeyes shot 78.6 percent (11-of-14) in the third quarter and were a perfect 6-for-6 from outside.
 
The Bruins were unable to get any closer than 22 in the closing 10 minutes as Belmont went 1-for-12 from the floor in the fourth quarter.
 
Ohio State's Sheldon added 13 in the second half to finish with 31 points on 12-for-18 shooting, including going 5-for-9 from deep.
 
The Buckeyes owned a 37-29 advantage on the boards and outscored the Bruins 28-13 off the bench. Ohio State scored 21 points off a season-high 23 Belmont turnovers.
 
Behind Miller's team-high 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting, the Bruins held their own in the paint with only a 28-26 disadvantage. Cheesman also reached double figures, scoring 13 on 5-for-9 from the field.
 
Returning to her hometown, junior guard Kilyn McGuff collected a team-best six rebounds against her father's team. Redshirt junior guard Tuti Jones came up with a season-high five steals.
 
The Buckeyes also got 15 points from Taylor and another 10 from reserve guard Rikki Harris. Ohio State starting guard Taylor Thierry tallied nine points and a game-high nine boards.

Of Note

• The game was Belmont's non-conference finale.
• The Bruins fall to 1-33 against nationally-ranked foes all-time.
• Belmont is 0-2 against the Buckeyes.
• The Bruins are 3-16 all-time versus current Big Ten Conference members.
• Six of Belmont's 11 non-conference opponents were from power conferences. Five of the Bruins' first six games of the season were against power conference programs.
• Six of Belmont's 11 opponents thus far are currently ranked in the top 80 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), including No. 2 Stanford and No. 15 Ohio State.
• Miller has scored in double figures in all but one game this season and has distributed at least three assists in six-straight outings.
• The 84 points scored by the Buckeyes are the most by any opponent this season.

 
Up Next
The Bruins will have an eight-day break from game action for Christmas before starting Missouri Valley Conference play next weekend. Next Saturday, Dec. 30, Belmont hosts the University of Illinois Chicago to begin a three-game homestand. The conference opener is scheduled for a 4 p.m. tipoff from the Curb Event Center and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

How to Follow
Follow Belmont women's basketball on social media - @BelmontWBB on Twitter, @belmontwbb on Instagram and Belmont Women's Basketball on Facebook - for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.