The Minnesota women’s basketball team lost its second game this week, falling 99-76 at Ohio State Thursday night.
Despite the loss, the Gophers left the game with a few positive takeaways. One was redshirt junior guard Gadiva Hubbard joining the 1,000-point club. Hubbard came into the game needing nine points to reach the mark and finished with 10 while also adding five rebounds.
Another positive for the Gophers was the return of senior guard Jasmine Brunson. Brunson had missed the past two games along with the second half against Rutgers with an injury. Brunson did not start in Thursday’s game but played 27 minutes and finished with five points.
Freshman guard Jasmine Powell led the Gophers in scoring for the sixth consecutive game, finishing with 21 points. Senior forward Taiye Bello and freshman guard Sara Scalia both scored 14 points and Bello added seven rebounds while Scalia grabbed five.
Typically, a college basketball team has a good chance to win when scoring 76 points. But Minnesota fell behind by 12 points at halftime and Ohio State did not let its foot off the gas pedal in the second half, forcing the Gophers to try and mount a comeback. The Buckeyes’ offense propelled them to the dominant victory as they shot 55.7% from the floor and 43.5% from the three-point line.
This was also the second consecutive game Minnesota was outplayed inside. Ohio State scored 42 points in the paint compared to the Gophers’ 20. Last Monday, Michigan outscored the Gophers 44-18 in the paint.
Guard Madison Greene led the way for Ohio State, finishing with a game-high 25 points and seven assists. Guard Jacey Sheldon added 19 points and seven rebounds.
The first meeting between these two teams back in late December was quite different than Thursday’s matchup. Both Minnesota and Ohio State struggled somewhat offensively, each failing to score 70 points or shoot 45 percent from the floor as the Buckeyes won 66-63. Greene was also not much of an issue for the Gophers in December’s matchup, finishing with only six points and one assist.
Minnesota now falls to 15-10 and 5-9 in the Big Ten with four games remaining before the Big Ten Tournament. The Gophers remain on the road and will face Michigan State Monday night.
