No. 2 UCLA fends off No. 13 Ohio State 77-71 to win 10th straight

Dec 19, 2023, 02:59 am

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- — Charisma Osborne had 19 points and Lauren Betts had 17 to help No. 2 UCLA beat No. 13 Ohio State 77-71 on Monday night.

UCLA (10-0) overcame a sluggish first half and dominated the boards on the way to its 10th straight win of the season.

Ohio State (9-2) began the game leading 7-0, shooting 3 of 4 and forcing two turnovers.

But the Bruins battled back. The two teams knotted at 17 points apiece after the first quarter which saw the Buckeyes fall cold late going 2 for 11 to close the period.

Kiki Rice had 15 points and Gabriela Jaquez had 11 points for the Bruins.

“They’ve responded from one loss at the beginning of the season to just really soaring and getting a lot better,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “This means a lot because we have a lot of respect for them.”

Jacy Sheldon had a game-high 30 points and Taylor Thierry added 20 for the Buckeyes.

“I thought the problem tonight is we had too many possessions where the ball just kind of stuck and quit moving,” Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. “For us, to be at our best on offense, it’s when we get to what I like to call the next level of the offense, and we just didn’t get there enough tonight.”

DONE WITH CHARISMA

UCLA was in for a close contest after tying at 17 to end the first quarter.

When Ohio State made its comeback bid late in the fourth quarter, the Bruins kept them at bay, led by Osborne, whose 14 second-half points and a steal keyed the way to victory.

“I just thought we showed a lot of composure, and it starts with Charisma Osborne,” Close said. “I just thought she was so solid on both ends of the floor. She was a calming force. No one ever drives around her. We switched a lot of screens — but you’ll notice, nobody ever rounded the corner on her.”

STOPPING THE PRESS

Ohio State’s defense entered the game No. 15 in turnovers forced per game with an average of 22.7.

UCLA had answers for the Buckeyes’ press defense, committing nine or fewer turnovers in each half, and it allowed for the Bruins to score 46 points in the paint.

“I got to give a shout out to the coaches because they did a really good scout,” Betts said. “I just got to stay in the paint a little bit more and just help as much as I could. That was the plan for today just block as many shots as I possibly can.”

BIG PICTURE

UCLA: The Bruins claim their 10th win in a row and second straight over a ranked opponent. They are 3-0 against ranked opponents this season with wins over UConn, Florida State and the Buckeyes.

“I don’t think we’re playing our best basketball,” Close said. “I think we made a lot of errors down the stretch, but I think that we do have a group that I know has high standards. ... I know they’re going to fight for that next step of growth.”

Ohio State: The Buckeyes’ nine-game winning streak comes to an end after surrendering 18 assists, a season high.

UP NEXT

UCLA: Hosts Hawaii on Thursday.

Ohio State: Hosts Belmont on Friday.

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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball