In last year's NCAA Tournament, the Ohio State women's basketball team was a No. 6 seed that upset the host team in the second round to advance to the Sweet 16.
On Monday afternoon at Value City Arena, the No. 3 seed Buckeyes were on the other side of the equation, hosting No. 6-seed North Carolina. Ohio State held the lead from the beginning, all the way until the 2:09 mark of the fourth quarter, but the Tar Heels were always within striking distance.
After North Carolina took the lead, it was senior point guard Jacy Sheldon who made a transition layup to put the Buckeyes back ahead. And after the Tar Heels tied the game with 9.8 seconds left, it was Sheldon again who made the go-ahead basket — this time with one second remaining to send Ohio State to its second consecutive Sweet 16 with a 71-69 win.
"It was really special," Sheldon said. "Being at our home court one more time this year and in March makes it even that much more special. I think sometimes in March, specifically, you have to find a way to win, and that's what we did today, and we did it together."
Sheldon appeared in just six games during the regular season as she battled a lingering lower-leg injury . As she worked her way back to health, Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said the plan was to be cautious with her and integrate her slowly, so that the Buckeyes would have their point guard at full strength for the postseason.
Saturday's first-round win against James Madison was Sheldon's first start since Nov. 30, and she scored 17 points to go with nine assists, five rebounds and three steals to lead Ohio State's 16-point comeback victory. Monday, Sheldon was the hero again. Her 16 points were one shy of senior guard Taylor Mikesell, who led the team with 17. Sheldon also added six rebounds, five assists and two steals.
When McGuff needed to draw up the play for the game-winning shot, there was no question about who was going to take it.
"The plan was to get it in Jacy's hands, for sure," McGuff said. "It didn't go exactly the way we wanted it. It got a little fouled up on our timing, and they guarded it well. They guarded the initial action really well. Eboni (Walker) made a great decision not passing the initial one to Jacy because she really wasn't open. Then we swung the ball back around and got it back in her hands.
"I told them in the locker room, sometimes it's about X's and O's, and sometimes it's about having the best player on the court."
The Buckeyes faced double-digit deficits in their previous three games, so Monday's nearly wire-to-wire lead was a break from that recent trend. Ohio State jumped out to an early lead, fueled by two 3-pointers from Mikesell and a defensive effort that held North Carolina off the scoreboard until the 5:55 mark of the first quarter. But the Tar Heels, led by junior guard Deja Kelly, didn't stay quiet for long.
The Tar Heels, who entered the game averaging 18.6 turnovers forced per game, turned the Buckeyes over 12 times in the first half — 21 times total — and Kelly's speed in transition off those turnovers made her almost impossible for Ohio State to stop. Kelly contributed 13 of North Carolina's 28 first-half points, and the Tar Heels trailed by just five at halftime.
The Buckeyes stretched their lead to double-digits for the first time early in the third quarter, but once again, the Tar Heels refused to fade away, with guard Kennedy Todd-Williams eventually bringing North Carolina within one point by making two free throws. But Sheldon extended the lead on a drive to the basket, and Mikesell completed a three-point play to end the quarter with Ohio State up 51-46.
Just 36 seconds into the fourth quarter, North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart called timeout after a quick 4-0 run by the Buckeyes. The Tar Heels responded again and pushed back after the Buckeyes built another double-digit lead.
Mikesell's fourth three of the game, a quick-release shot in the corner after Sheldon grabbed the rebound from her own missed 3-pointer, looked to be the dagger, as Ohio State went up 62-50. But North Carolina went on a 9-0 run over less than two minutes to get back within three points, still not content to go away quietly.
With the Buckeyes clinging to a 64-63 lead, Walker ended a nearly four-minute stretch without a made field goal, but Kelly made two free throws right after to make it a one-point game again. Seconds later, North Carolina took its first lead.
The Tar Heels had a chance to extend their advantage on their next possession, but Sheldon's transition layup put the Buckeyes back in front. North Carolina looked to Kelly, who had been unstoppable for much of the game, for the game-tying basket, and her jump shot swished through the net with 9.8 seconds left to play.
In what could be her final game at Value City Arena, after missing nearly the entire season with an injury that kept her from putting up the numbers she expected to in her senior season , every one of the 5,186 people in attendance knew the final play was drawn up for Sheldon. After receiving the pass from Walker, Sheldon drove toward the basket through three North Carolina defenders.
She didn't get her balance perfectly set before she went up for the shot, but it didn't matter. It was always going to be Sheldon's shot to take, and none of the Buckeyes doubted that she'd make it.
"It took everybody," Mikesell said. "Pieces from everybody to step up, and just Jacy Sheldon being Jacy Sheldon at the end of the day. ... Just how much adversity she's been through this season, just to come back and be ready to be ready for that moment. Just to be like her old self, if not better, is pretty incredible."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jacy Sheldon leads Ohio State to Sweet 16 in win over North Carolina
