COLUMBUS (AP) — Cotie McMahon had a career-high 33 points and 12 rebounds as No. 18 Ohio State rallied to stun No. 2 Iowa 100-92 in overtime, despite 42 points from Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark.
The Buckeyes (15-3, 6-1) trailed as many as 12 points behind in regulation to tie the game at 83 and force the extra period.
Clark scored all of Iowa’s nine overtime points.
A 3-pointer from Rebeka Mikulasikova gave Ohio State a six-point lead with 1:14 left in overtime.
McMahon’s basket and four late free throws from Jacy Sheldon sealed with win for the Buckeyes.
The No. 18 Buckeyes rallied from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the game and took control in overtime in front of more than 18,000 fans — the largest crowd to watch a women’s basketball game at Ohio State and the largest indoor regular season crowd for a women’s basketball game this season.
As fans streamed onto the court, Clark, the nation’s top scorer and reigning college player of the year, was accidentally collided into by a fan and had to be helped up by her teammates. Her coach, Lisa Bluder, said fans also screamed inappropriate things to the star player.
Clark said she was “OK,” and Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith apologized to her for the incident.
“It’s a huge win for the program,” said Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff, who opened his press conference with an apology to Clark for the post-game incident.
McMahon named B1G POW
McMahon was named Big Ten Player of the Week for the first time in her career.
The sophomore forward led the Buckeyes to wins over the Hawkeyes and Maryland, averaging 23.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the two victories.