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3 takeaways from Ohio State women's Big Ten Tournament win over Indiana
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- 3 takeaways from Ohio State women's Big Ten Tournament win over Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS - No. 5 seed Ohio State women's basketball easily handled No. 13 seed Indiana , winning 83-59 in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on March 5.
Here are three takeaways from the Buckeyes ' win to open the postseason.
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Replay: Ohio State women rout Indiana in Big Ten Tournament
Ohio State improves offensive rebounding, overall performance on the boards vs Indiana
During the final two weeks of the regular season, Ohio State struggled to rebound, and that was one of the main reasons the Buckeyes dropped three of their final five regular-season games and fell from third to fifth in the Big Ten standings.
Ohio State was outrebounded by at least 13 boards during losses to Maryland , Minnesota and Michigan , finishing those three contests with a combined -41 rebounding margin (140-99). On the offensive boards, the Buckeyes were outrebounded 51-27.
Ohio State center Elsa Lemmilä attempts to block a shot by Indiana forward Edessa Noyan (8).
In starting their tournament run, the Buckeyes outrebounded the Hoosiers 45-33. Nineteen of Ohio State's rebounds came on the offensive end, marking a season-high against a Big Ten opponent.
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Center Elsa Lemmila had a team-high 13 boards. Six were offensive rebounds and seven defensive.
Kylee Kitts is returning to where she was before the shoulder injury
Forward Kylee Kitts also made an impact on the boards, notching six rebounds. She also scored nine points.
Kitts struggled getting back to the level she was playing at before suffering a right shoulder injury in the TCU matchup on January 19 , which sidelined her for five games.
Ohio State forward Kylee Kitts had 9 points, six rebounds against Indiana.
Returning with seven games remaining in the regular season, Kitts only looked like herself in the 88-86 overtime loss to Michigan on Feb. 25, in which she recorded 11 points and three rebounds.
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"I feel like I'm back," Kitts said. "I'm not hurt anymore. It took me a while to get back, but I think this game helped my confidence."
Chance Gray, Jaloni Cambridge continue to be Ohio State's top scoring duo
Guard Chance Gray's consistency during Big Ten play allowed her to average 15.4 points per game across 18 games.
During that span, she was the team's second leading scorer, trailing only Jaloni Cambridge's 26.4 points per game. The two remained at the top of Ohio State's offense against Indiana.
Ohio State guard Chance Gray drives to the basket in an 83-59 win over Indiana.
Gray had 18 points, including four 3-pointers, and had a team-high six assists. Cambridge recorded 19 points and five assists.
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With Gray broadening her game by driving more to the basket, the senior improved her shooting percentage from 39.8% last season to 45.4% this season.
The Buckeyes will take on No. 4 seed Minnesota in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on March 6.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State women's basketball defeats Indiana in Big Ten Tournament: Takeaways
