Big Ten Women’s Basketball Semifinals

2-seed Ohio State (24-6 OVR, 15-3 B1G) vs 3-seed Michigan State (23-7, 13-5)

Time: 5:25 p.m., approximately 25 minutes after conclusion of Maryland vs Northwestern

TV: Big Ten Network

Radio: WJIM 1240 AM, SpartanSportsNetwork.com

The comparison of childhood stories is often used in sports. MSU vs OSU is not David vs Goliath, but Goliath vs Goliath.

At the start of the season, Maryland and Ohio State were projected to run the Big Ten, and for the most part, they have. But Michigan State has forced their way into the conversation for best in the conference.

The two teams have faced off twice this season and both games went down to the wire. This game should be no different. Expect another high-scoring affair.

This season:

12/31/15 in Columbus, OH

Ohio State won 85-80, OSU’s two stars (Mitchell and Alston) combined for 48 points while playing 39 and 40 minutes, respectively.

02/27/16 in East Lansing, MI

Michigan State battled for a 107-105 win in three overtimes. MSU’s Hines lead the team with 36 points and 11 rebounds. OSU’s Mitchell scored 48 of the Buckeyes’ points.

How they got here:

The No. 9 Buckeyes, the second seed in the conference, had a double-bye. They beat Rutgers 73-58 with Mitchell scoring 43 points.

No. 19 MSU, the 3-seed, also had a double-bye. The Spartans got past Purdue 65-64 in their third round matchup, fighting off one of their worst first halves of the year.

Three things to watch for:

OHIO STATE

1. Key Players
   • Kelsey Mitchell, 5-foot-8 sophomore guard
     • Last game vs No. 10 RU: 43 points on 15-for-24 FG, six rebounds
   • Ameryst Alston, 5-foot-9 senior guard
     • Last game vs No. 10 RU: 12 points on 5-for-16 FG
       • OSU’s second leading scorer went to the locker room after diving for a loose ball with close to seven minutes left in the Rutgers game
2. Forced Turnovers
   • OSU forced 24 turnovers against RU. They also outscored RU 30-8 on points off of turnovers.
   • MSU turned to ball over 19 times vs PUR and was outscored 20-17 off turnovers.
3. Personal Fouls
   • OSU only committed seven team fouls in the game vs RU, compared to Rutgers’ 17 personals.
   • MSU committed 20 personal fouls vs PUR, and also forced Purdue to foul 17 times

MICHIGAN STATE

1. Key Players
   • Aerial Powers
     • Last game vs No. 6 PUR: 26 points on 9-for-22 FG, 12 rebounds
   • Tori Jankoska
     • Last game vs. No. 6 PUR: seven points on 3-for-10, 0-for-4 on 3-pointers
       • All seven points came in the fourth quarter
   • Jasmine Hines
     • Last game vs No. 6 PUR: 11 points on 4-for-9, eight rebounds
       • All 11 of her points came in the second half, after no paint presence in the first half
2. 3-points Percentage
   • MSU ended the game vs PUR 1-for-12 from the 3-point line
   • OSU shot 10-for-23 on 3’s and forced RU to go 2-for-11
3. Points in the Paint
   • MSU outscored PUR 36-22 (14-12 in the first half) in the paint
   • OSU was outscored by Rutgers 32-22 in the paint