No. 13 Buckeye women edge Gophers 90-88 in Big 10 semis

Published 7:59 am Monday, March 5, 2018

INDIANAPOLIS — Kelsey Mitchell scored 30 points, Stephanie Mavunga had 26 points, a Big Ten Conference Tournament record 21 rebounds and seven blocks, and No. 13 Ohio State used a late run to edge fourth-seeded Minnesota 90-88 in a semifinal game on Saturday.

The top-seeded Buckeyes didn’t secure a spot in the championship game until Carlie Wagner’s 12-foot jumper from the right of the lane bounced off the rim as time expired. Ohio State (26-6) faces second-seeded Maryland, which beat the Buckeyes 99-69 in the only other meeting between the teams this season, for the title Sunday night.

A basket by Kenisha Bell gave the Golden Gophers (23-8) an 85-79 lead with 4:40 to play. Linnae Harper quickly answered with a jumper for the Buckeyes. Mitchell followed with a 3-point play to make it a one-point game and Ohio State took the lead on the 16th lead change with a basket by Alexa Hart at 2:40.

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