In a battle of 3s, Kelsey Mitchell wouldn't lose

Columbus, OH -- No. 5 Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell and Indiana's Tyra Buss, both entered Tuesday's contest leading their teams in scoring -- and also wearing the same jersey number, 3.

"We just have to show up every night. Anyone could have a bad night and anyone could lose," Mitchell said. "Our focus is to just go out and play every night."

Both teams were scoreless in the first two-and-a-half minutes until Indiana scored off a free-throw by Buss. Ohio State's Mitchell responded right away with Ohio State's first basket of the game.

Indiana took 2 three-point shots in a row to go up on the Buckeyes 13-6 with five minutes left in the first. Buss's three-point shot in the bottom of the first kept the Hoosiers on top while Ohio State's Shayla Cooper helped her team with points late in the quarter to tie the score up at 18.


Ohio state started the second quarter by taking back the lead. However, a missed shot and a turnover halfway through the second quarter resulted in an Indiana basket, tying the game up at 26. Ohio state responded with two made free-throws which allowed them to get ahead, and stay ahead through the end of the first half, 40-35.


While there appeared to be a #3 rivalry on the court, Ohio State's lead scorer in the first half was #32 Cooper who scored 14 points, followed by Mitchell with 8. Buss led the Hoosiers going into the second half with 12 points.

Ohio State took control in the third quarter as Kelsey Mitchell found her groove and contributed 15 points. However, Indiana's Buss had her own response. Buss added seven more points in the third putting her only four points behind Mitchell in the contest. The Buckeye's closed out the third quarter on top, 67-55.

The fourth quarter was no different for the Buckeyes as they dominated the entire second half of the game. Ohio State secured its win over the Hoosiers, 97-70.

Head Coach Kevin McGuff said that it's so early in the Big Ten season to worry about rankings.

"We're just trying to make sure that we stay focused and get better on a daily basis," McGuff said. "I think we have a lot of confidence in how we're playing."

But, the question of the night: Who wore it the best?

Indiana's Buss was impressive from behind the three-point line, but there's a reason why Mitchell was the top scorer in the country last year. Buss led Indiana with 19 points while Mitchell led the Buckeyes with 23 points. Congratulations Kelsey Mitchell, you wore #3 best tonight!