COLUMBUS, Ohio — As Ohio State sophomore Cotie McMahon’s final shot fell Sunday afternoon, she floated back to midcourt at the Schottenstein Center and screamed. The jumper provided the Buckeyes an early 6-point overtime lead against second-ranked Iowa and prompted Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder to call a timeout.
The 18,660 fans erupted. Teammates rushed to McMahon, who hugged them and did a little dance with one before heading to the bench for the break.
It wasn’t a game-winning shot, but it might as well have been. Iowa never got within 6 points in the final 30 seconds as the Buckeyes upset Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes in a 100-92 victory that could define Ohio State’s — and McMahon’s — trajectory.
McMahon, who scored a career-high 33 points with 12 rebounds, technically wasn’t the best player on the floor. As it often is, that was Clark with 45 points, but in these top-20 matchups, the best teams need their best players to shine. And McMahon delivered.
This season hasn’t been easy for McMahon or Ohio State. Fresh off an Elite Eight run in McMahon’s All-American freshman season, the Buckeyes came into Sunday’s game ranked No. 18 in the country and with a three-loss record. That seems solid, but Ohio State started last season 19-0. This is a different team,…
