University of Minnesota Athletics
Wagner's 34 Not Enough to Beat No. 15 Buckeyes
1/26/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Carlie Wagner scored 34 points as Minnesota lost to No. 15/14 Ohio State, 88-76, on Thursday night. The Golden Gophers (11-10, 2-6 Big Ten) never allowed the Buckeyes (18-5, 8-1 Big Ten) to run away with the game, but could not completely close the gap in the second half in Minneapolis.
Wagner's 30-point effort was her second of the past four games. She shot 13-for-25 and made four 3-pointers. Kenisha Bell added 12 points and five assists, while Taiye Bello contributed nine points off the bench in the second half. Bello pulled down a team-high seven rebounds on the night.
Minnesota cut down on turnovers in its second meeting with Ohio State, tallying 12 as compared to its 24 in Columbus. The Gophers also shot better from the free throw, connecting on 17 of 20 attempts. The Buckeyes held a 43-38 in rebounding and shot 50 percent compared to the Gophers' 40.3 percent.
Kelsey Mitchell led Ohio State with 25 points, including a 4-of-7 night behind the 3-point line. Stephanie Mavunga had a double-double with 13 points and 16 rebounds, and Shayla Cooper added 18 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter: Minnesota quickly scored the first four points of the game off a steal and a defensive rebound. Ohio State went on a 6-0 run for its first lead. Jessie Edwards scored twice to stop the run, but the quarter remained low-scoring. Gadiva Hubbard drove and scored with five seconds left for a 14-13 Minnesota lead.
Second Quarter: The Buckeyes had a few different eight-point leads in the second. The first time, the Gophers cut it to 32-29 with free throws by Edwards and a 3-pointer by Hubbard. They would not get that close the rest of the half, trailing 39-31 at the break.
Third Quarter: Minnesota closed the gap to two points, 41-39, behind four points from Wagner and two from Hubbard. After another two-point margin at 43-41, Ohio State ran the lead to nine points. The Buckeyes led 62-56 despite 13 points from Wagner in the third.
Fourth Quarter: The Gophers got within three, 64-61, early in the fourth after a Wagner 3-pointer. Ohio State then went up by 11 before Bello drew a foul. Bello made the first of two free throws, and Wagner made a 3-pointer off the rebound on the next to make it 76-69 with a little over five minutes to go. The Buckeyes' lead continued to fluctuate. The closest Minnesota was the rest of the way was an 80-74 deficit following a pair of Bell free throws. Cooper answered with a three-point play for Ohio State, which remained in control for the rest of the game.
MORE NOTES
*Wagner has three 30-point games this year and four during her career.
*Wagner tied the second highest-scoring quarter by a Gopher this year with 13 points in the third quarter.
*Bell has scored in double figures 19 times this season.
*Hubbard tallied four steals and has had at least three steals in four games this year.
COMING UP NEXT
Minnesota's Play4Kay pink game for breast cancer awareness will be next Monday, Jan. 30 against Michigan State. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. Fans will receive free pink shirts at the doors while supplies last.
