Montana

NCAA Tournament: How Kevin McGuff’s technical foul fueled Ohio State’s first-round victory

Published

10 months ago

March 22, 2025

NCAA Tournament: How Kevin McGuff’s technical foul fueled Ohio State’s first-round victory

The Ohio State Buckeyes were already struggling to find their footing in their NCAA Tournament first-round matchup against Montana State when coach Kevin McGuff was charged with a technical foul.

McGuff, frustrated with multiple calls against Ohio State to start the second quarter, indirectly helped the Bobcats cap a 10-0 run to take a 27-23 lead. (Sophomore guard Natalie Picton made two free throws, then slashed to the basket for a layup on the ensuing possession.)

At the same time, the technical provided a boost the Buckeyes needed to break a four-minute scoring drought.

“I think that’s the main thing that takes teams far, when you are fighting for something more,” Ohio State forward Eboni Walker said. “Him showing that consistently is what really fuels our team to want to listen and play hard for not only him, but each other.”

Picton’s layup was the Bobcats’ last basket for nearly 10 minutes of play, as Ohio State went on a 24-0 run that started in the first half and ended in the second.

With a 20-point cushion, the Buckeyes recorded a 71-51 victory at Value City Arena on Friday to advance to the second round.

Ahead of the postseason, senior Taylor Thierry had spoken about Ohio State’s need to play through missed and bad calls, and it was Thierry who was the charged with the foul (her third of the game) that set McGuff off.

“I don’t know if it’s built-up anger, but I feel like that kind of brings us together,” Thierry said. “It just motivates us to play together and just try to get stops. Again, just not focusing on things we can’t control.”

Cotie McMahon, Chance Gray provide key production in Ohio State’s 24-0 run

Fired up, the Buckeyes concluded their only path to victory was to take control and put the game in their own hands.

Following a pair of free throws from freshman point guard Jaloni Cambridge to break the scoring drought with 3:17 remaining in the half, forward Cotie McMahon powered her way to the basket on three-consecutive plays, recording five points.

McMahon finished with 15 points, with over 7 coming during the run.

Ohio State held a 32-27 advantage coming out of halftime and continued to pull away behind the hot hand of guard Chance Gray. The first three Ohio State possessions of the second half all resulted in Gray 3-point baskets.

“We played really aggressively in transition,” McGuff said. “When there’s two people there (in transition), you can spread it out to somebody wide open, which is what happened and Chance was obviously capitalizing on those.”

Gray finished the game with 15 points, all coming from beyond the arc.

The run came to an end at the 6:18 mark in the third quarter with a Bobcats’ 3-pointer, but the distance Ohio State built was enough to secure a victory.

Ohio State will face No. 5 seed Tennessee in the second round at 8 p.m. on Sunday at Value City Arena.

bmackay@dispatch.com

@brimackay15

Source link

Click to comment

Montana

Photos: Montana State clips Illinois State to win national championship

Published

9 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Photos: Montana State clips Illinois State to win national championship

Montana State plays Illinois State in the FCS national championship game at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.Justin Hosa / MTN Sports

Montana State topped Illinois State 35-34 in overtime to claim their first National Championship since 1984.TOM WYLIE/MTN Sports

Montana State plays Illinois State in the FCS national championship game at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports

Source link

Montana

Watch: Bobcat Built – Montana State’s Championship Quest

Published

22 hours ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Watch: Bobcat Built – Montana State’s Championship Quest

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Montana State squares off with Illinois State Monday night in the FCS national championship game at FirstBank Stadium on the campus of Vanderbilt University. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

The Bobcats are making their third trip to the title game in the past five seasons under coach Brent Vigen. The program is seeking its first championship since 1984.

MTN Sports has been on the ground in Nashville for the past five days covering the lead-up to the game, including the pregame show “Bobcat Built: Montana State’s Championship Quest” hosted by Scott Breen and Kyle Hansen.

In it the MTN staff provides game previews, features, facts and figures and sights and sounds from the past several days in Music City in the run-up to the game. To watch, see the video reel below.

Watch: Bobcat Built – Montana State’s Championship Quest

Bobcat Built: Montana State’s Championship Quest

Source link

Montana

Photos: Past and present Montana State Bobcats meet in Nashville

Published

1 day ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Photos: Past and present Montana State Bobcats meet in Nashville

Past Montana State football players meet with current Bobcats during a team walk-through at the indoor practice facility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.Kyle Hansen / MTN Sports