SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Cotie McMahon had 16 points and six rebounds leading six players in double figures scoring, and No. 11 Ohio State beat Stanford 84-59 on Friday night in the Invisalign Bay Area Women’s Classic.
McMahon, who came in averaging at team-high 18.6 points per game, missed eight of her first nine shots and wound up 5 for 15 for the unbeaten Buckeyes (12-0).
Nunu Agara scored 17 points to lead Stanford (8-4).
The Cardinal ended the first quarter missing five straight shots and eight of nine during a drought covering the final 4:02 without a field goal and 6:47 without a basket spanning the two periods.
The game featured two of the former teams coached by retired Hall of Fame Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer, who was introduced on the big screen during a first-quarter timeout.
Ohio State and Stanford hadn’t played since the Cardinal’s 71-52 victory on Dec. 15, 2019, at home.
Takeaways
Ohio State: The Buckeyes took care of the ball committing just six turnovers and scored 17 points off Stanford’s 19 miscues.
Stanford: Junior PG Talana Lepolo missed her sixth straight game with a knee injury. The school has provided limited updates on her status or a timeline for her return. The Cardinal are struggling without her floor leadership and managed only four assists.
Key moment
Ohio State’s 58th-ranked 3-point defense made it tough for Stanford on the perimeter from the opening tip. The Cardinal were 2 for 16 from deep and missed their initial eight 3-point tries.
Key stat
The Buckeyes overpowered Stanford in the paint, scoring 44 points to the Cardinal’s 36.
Stanford ranks 249th in the nation for the percentage of points it gets in the paint — 42.7% coming into the game — but those were about the only opportunities the Cardinal could manage.
Up next
Ohio State plays at Rutgers on Dec. 29, while Stanford is off for the holidays before playing an ACC game at SMU on Jan. 2.
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