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.

More: Ohio State freshman Jaloni Cambridge excited for first NCAA Tournament

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

HELENA — Later this year, cities and towns across Montana will be holding elections for mayors and other local officials. However, a bill currently making its way through the Montana Legislature could significantly change how those elections will run after 2025.

House Bill 221, sponsored by Rep. Lukas Schubert, R-Kalispell, would move municipal elections from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years – putting them on the same schedule with federal and state elections. The House passed the bill 57-42, with almost all Republicans in support and almost all Democrats in opposition. It had its first hearing in a Senate committee this week.

(Watch the video to hear what city officials say about the possible change.)

Lawmakers consider bill to move Montana municipal elections to even years

Schubert said this move would get more people participating in local elections.

“I think it’s just a commonsense measure,” he said.

If HB 221 becomes law, there would still be municipal elections this year, but the winners’ terms would only last one year. Those positions would then go back up for election on the new schedule in 2026. There would also be special elections in 2026 and 2028 for one-year terms to get officials whose terms expire in 2027 and 2029 onto the new schedule.

Billings, Missoula, Bozeman, Kalispell, Great Falls and Helena are all scheduled to elect mayors in 2025.

Joe McKenney is a Great Falls city commissioner, first elected in 2021 for a four-year term expiring at the end of 2025. He says having to run at the same time as federal and state candidates could make it tougher for city candidates to get voters’ attention.

“There’s only so many billboards, there’s only so many bench signs, there’s only so many radio spots, there’s only so many spots that we can buy on the news,” said McKenney. “And when all of these hundreds – it could be hundreds – of candidates are on the same ballot, running at the same time, how do we get our message out?”

Schubert told MTN he didn’t think moving city elections would lead to local issues getting lost.

“Putting them in the even-numbered years, it doesn’t prevent anyone from looking at what their municipal or mayor candidate is – that’s clearly a distinct role from a president or Senate or anything else,” he said. “But it gives those other people that ordinarily don’t turn out an opportunity to vote, because it would be right there on the ballot.”

Two of Montana’s cities do have experience running local elections in even years: Butte and Anaconda. Both have consolidated city and county governments, and they elect their officers on the same schedule as counties.

Butte-Silver Bow chief executive J.P. Gallagher was reelected in November, at the same time as the presidential election.

“It brings more attention to it when it’s a federal and state election as well,” he said. “Sometimes, our local offices – people don’t know a whole lot about some of the elected officials that they’re voting for. And so it at least gets them to pay attention to those local offices and elections, and so I think it’s a benefit for us.”

In 2024, Anaconda-Deer Lodge County’s general election voter turnout was 81% and Butte-Silver Bow County’s was 76% – though the number of voters making a choice in each county’s chief executive race was about 5% lower. In 2021, municipal election turnout was 48% in Yellowstone County and Lewis and Clark County and 45% in Missoula County. In 2023, Gallatin County reported 33% turnout in its municipal general election.

In 2023, another bill to move municipal elections to even years passed the Senate but stalled in the House. Schubert said he believed the idea had a better chance of success this year because the Montana Secretary of State’s Office is more supportive.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Women’s March Madness is finally here. The fourth-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes host the 13th-seeded Montana State Bobcats in a Regional 3 first round matchup today – Friday, March 21 – at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. The early evening NCAA women’s basketball game is available to watch on multiple streaming services for free.

How do I watch Ohio State vs. Montana State for free?

This women’s March Madness game will broadcast live on ESPN2 with tipoff at 5:30 p.m. Eastern. Fans who have parted ways with their cable provider can catch the game at no cost by taking advantage of streaming alternatives like DirecTV Stream and FuboTV ($20 off first month), which both offer a free trial.

Sling TV is offering half off your first month for new customers.

Ohio State (25-6) weathered a challenging Big Ten schedule, that included national title contenders UCLA and USC. Those two teams were roadblocks for the Buckeyes making up three of their five losses, including a 75-46 shellacking by the Bruins in the Big 10 semifinals.

The Buckeyes tout four players in double figures, featuring Junior forward Cotie McMahon, who is averaging 16.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 43.8% from the field.

After a brilliant campaign that churned out just three losses to Montana State (30-3) edged out rival Montana, 58-57, to win the Big Sky championship game.

Senior guard Esmeralda Morales powered in 25 points to knock off the rival Grizzlies. She is averaging 15.3 points, 3.7 assists and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 40.1% from the field.

The winner will play fifth-seeded Tennessee or 12th-seeded South Florida in the second round on March 23.

What are the latest odds for Ohio State vs. Montana State?

Moneyline: OSU: (-15.5), MSU: (+15.5)

Spread: OSU: -2100, MSU: +1100

Over/Under: 138.5

Odds by DraftKings

Who is announcing Ohio State vs. Montana State?

Matthew Schumacker (play-by-play) and Brooke Weisbrod (analyst) will be the announcers.

Here’s more information on how to watch Ohio State vs. Montana State on TV or streaming services:

What: Women’s NCAA tournament first round: Ohio State vs. Montana State

When: Friday, March 21, 2025

Time: 5:30 p.m. Eastern

Where: Schottenstein Center | Columbus, Ohio

Channel: ESPN2

Best streaming options: Fubo (free trial and $20 off first month), DirecTV Stream (free trial) and Sling TV (half off first month)

Cable Channel Finder: AT&T U-Verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DIRECTV, Dish, Verizon Fios