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The second Coretta Scott King Classic featured two comebacks.
The first one resulted in victory, with No. 12 Ohio State erasing an early 10-point deficit to outlast No. 9 TCU, 71-69. In the second game, No. 5 Vanderbilt stayed perfect against No. 7 Michigan, 72-69, even after the Wolverines cut what was once a 19-point Commodore lead down to two points in the game’s final minutes.
Here’s how the Buckeyes and Commodores earned top-10 wins:
Ohio State makes the most of their upset Chance
While the Horned Frogs led by 10 points after the first, it was a back-and-forth affair from there.
The Buckeyes benefitted from their characteristic aggressive defense, forcing 20 Frog turnovers that they converted into 18 points, and some timely 3-point shooting.
Chance Gray was most responsible for the latter. The great-granddaughter Benjamin Hooks, who, as executive director of the NAACP, once worked alongside Dr. King , Gray appropriately assumed a starring role for the winning side. She not only was 6-for-8 from 3, but her final triple, drained with 16 seconds remaining, proved to be the decisive dagger in the 71-69 upset.
Overall, Ohio State shot 43 percent from 3, compared to 32 percent for TCU, a margin that proved difficult for the Horned Frogs, a team that is more reliant on the 3 within their offense, to overcome. Olivia Miles, in particular, was off from long range, going just 1-for-7 from deep. Otherwise, she compiled another stellar stat line of 24 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Marta Suárez, TCU’s second-leading scorer on the season, also failed to make a 3 as she was held to only two points.
The Buckeyes’ better shooting compensated for an uneven game from Jaloni Cambridge, who scored 18 points on 22 shot attempts. Cambridge did steer Ohio State with eight assists and no turnovers, in addition to grabbing six rebounds.
Vanderbilt stays perfect behind Galvan’s spunk
Through almost three quarters, Vanderbilt appeared on their way to proving that they belong a class above Michigan.
However, the Wolverines closed the third period on a 6-0 spurt that extended into the final frame, when a more than four-minute scoring drought by the Commodores, thanks to some sharp Wolverine defense, turned this into the tightly-contested game expected.
Gone was Vandy’s crisp confidence, as the Commodores looked as if they were beginning to crack under the pressure of their perfection. A quiet afternoon from Mikayla Blakes left the Commodores searching for a solution to their offensive woes. Michigan successfully bottled up the nation’s second-leading scorer, with Brooke Quarles Daniels and Te’Yala Deflosse assuming the assignment with eagerness. They not only limited Blakes to 14 points but also to just 14 shot attempts.
Aubrey Galvan, however, fearlessly filled the void for Vandy. The barely 5-foot-6 freshman point guard scored a career-high 20 points that included three 3-pointers.
While Galvan’s final triple seemed like the boost Vandy needed to put Michigan away, the Wolverines kept battling, benefitting from two blown bunnies by the Commodores that could have closed the door. Yet on Michigan’s final two possessions, both Olivia Olson and Syla Swords missed good looks from 3, allowing Vandy to escape 72-69 and advance to an undefeated 19-0.
