After reaching the doorstep of the second Final Four in program history, the Ohio State women鈥檚 basketball team is headed home after falling to Virginia Tech 84-74 Monday night.
Taylor Mikesell led Ohio State (28-8) with 25 points, but 19 of those came in the first half. Mikesell didn鈥檛 score the first 16 minutes of the second half before hitting a 3-pointer with 3:35 remaining.
Jacy Sheldon scored 19 and Big Ten freshman of the year Cotie McMahon added 18. But the pressure defense that Ohio State used to into 25 turnovers in the regional semifinal was easily handled by Amoore and the Hokies in the opening minutes and mostly abandoned by the Buckeyes.
鈥淚 felt we were a little tired coming into it. We put so much energy into Saturday鈥檚 game and we didn鈥檛 quite have the same energy in the press,鈥� Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. 鈥淎nd when you don鈥檛 have it, it鈥檚 tough because you can really get but up on the back end and give up easy baskets.鈥�
Ohio State was looking to join its Big Ten Conference partner Iowa in reaching the Final Four for the first time in 30 years. The Buckeyes stayed with Virginia Tech shot-for-shot through a highly entertaining and high scoring first half.
But the shots that dropped in the first 20 minutes stopped falling in the second half. Ohio State shot 64% in the first half, including five 3-pointer from Mikesell, but that dropped to just 28% in the second half.
鈥淲e got the stops we wanted. We didn鈥檛 make the most of them on offense,鈥� Sheldon said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 execute the way we wanted to. So props to them. They played a great game.鈥�
For Virginia Teach, Elizabeth Kitley scored 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, Georgia Amoore added 24 points and the top-seeded Hokies advanced to the Final Four.
For the seventh time in the past 10 Final Fours and it鈥檚 the champions of the ACC, adding another accomplishment to the best season in school history.
Playing in its first regional final, Virginia Tech (31-4) won its 15th straight game and will head to the Final Four having not lost in more than two months. in the national semifinals on Friday in Dallas.
鈥淲e're not just going to the Final Four. We're in the Final Four. That's something that means the world to me,鈥� head coach Kenny Brooks said.
Kitley, the Hokies 6-foot-6 center and leading scorer this season, took over on the interior in the second half. She scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter and her three-point play gave Virginia Tech a 70-60 lead.
Amoore hit her fourth 3-pointer of the game to push the lead to 13. Ohio State pulled within six in the final minute, but the Hokies were nearly perfect at the foul line down the stretch.
sounded, Metallica鈥檚 鈥淓nter Sandman鈥� blasted throughout Climate Pledge Arena for the first time, setting off an even louder party for the Hokies fans in attendance.
And it played again as Brooks stood on the ladder above the celebration.
鈥淚 don't know if you envision it more than you dream it. Obviously this is not easy and one day I will sit back and realize how hard it was for us to get here and realize we are one of four teams standing,鈥� Brooks said.
Amoore shook off the scare of a potential injury in the first half to scored 16 points in the second half. 29 in the regional semifinal win over Tennessee. Cayla King added 12 points, all in the first half for the Hokies.
鈥淭his group, we all come from different places, but this year we came together because we all wanted the same thing,鈥� Kitley said. 鈥淚t's so nice to be at this spot but we know that we don't want to be done either yet because we have so much fun playing together.鈥�
