Ohio State upsets UConn, makes first Elite Eight since 1993

Connecticut began the first quarter of Saturday’s Sweet Sixteen showdown against third-seeded Ohio State with a 17-9 lead. That’s when the Buckeyes’ 2-2-1 press really started to kick in.

To say it changed the game would be an understatement.

What it really did was suffocate the second-seeded Huskies. Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff’s team forced 18 UConn first-half turnovers and scored 19 points off those turnovers in the process.

That on-ball pressure set the stage for a 17-0 Buckeyes run that slingshotted them into the driver’s seat. From that point forward, Ohio State — led by Big Ten Freshman of the Year Cotie McMahon’s 23 points — didn’t look back. In fact, the closest UConn got to reclaiming the lead was five points in the third quarter.

But, in less than a minute of game time, Ohio State restored its double-digit advantage, thanks to jumpers from the senior backcourt duo of Taylor Mikesell and Jacy Sheldon. Seven points from redshirt junior guard Rikki Harris off the bench helped the Buckeyes finish off Geno Auriemma’s Huskies, 73-61.

The upset win snapped UConn’s streak of 14 straight Final Fours. It also clinched Ohio State’s first Elite Eight appearance since 1993, and fourth all-time.

The Buckeyes will now play the winner of Tennessee-Virginia Tech in the regional final on Monday.

Ohio State (28-7) came into Saturday 16th nationally with 20.21 turnovers forced per game. That’s the magic number: The Buckeyes are now 19-0 on the year when their opponents cough the ball up 20 or more times.

All but one UConn (31-6) player who saw the floor committed at least two giveaways. Junior guard Nika Mühl was the biggest culprit. She finished the day with seven turnovers and five assists.

Ohio State shot only 38.3% from the field, including just 5-of-17 from deep, which was somewhat uncharacteristic for a Buckeyes team that entered the matchup 77th nationally in 3-point percentage.

But it didn’t matter because McGuff’s squad made a home for itself in the paint, where it outscored UConn, 32-28. The Buckeyes’ fastbreak opportunities paved way for a handful of those buckets. More generally, though, Ohio State’s bread and butter Saturday was dribble-drive penetration.

Ohio State took a 10-point lead into the break. UConn was staring at the same deficit by the time the final frame rolled around, but a 7-2 Huskies run during the heart of the period made things interesting.

Graduate wing Lou Lopez Sénéchal was the architect of UConn’s offense during that stretch. Actually, with a team-leading 25 points and four of the Huskies’ six 3-pointers, she was their spark plug all game. After cutting off a curl, Lopez Sénéchal drew a Sheldon foul while converting a layup. She completed the old fashioned 3-point play, and then, after two Taylor Thierry free throws for the Buckeyes, UConn center Dorka Juhász scored inside.

Juhász, who turned in a 13-10 double-double, was facing her old team Saturday. She spent the first three years of her career at Ohio State, where she was a first-team All-Big Ten performer as a sophomore and junior before transferring to UConn.

Lopez Sénéchal capped the sequence with another layup, making it a 44-39 game with 3:53 to go in the third period. Cue the aforementioned timely jumpers from Mikesell and Sheldon, who combined for 26 points in the win, and Ohio State was back up 10.

Ohio State’s largest lead, 18 points, resulted from Harris’ flurry of seven straight. That preceded UConn’s final push: a 9-0 run piloted by Lopez Sénéchal and Juhász that cut the Huskies’ deficit to single digits.

That glimmer of hope was short-lived. Who else but the fearless McMahon ended the three-plus-minute scoring drought by attacking UConn redshirt freshman forward Aubrey Griffin in the paint and converting an and-one.

Sheldon, who played in just six regular season games because of a lower-leg injury, put the finishing touches on the upset at the charity stripe.

Ohio State started the season 19-0 but then lost five of its next seven games before regaining some momentum before the NCAA Tournament.

It’s safe to say the storybook season has fully resumed in The Dance.