Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff on Kelsey Mitchell's 3-point shooting
LAS VEGAS -- As far as NCAA record-setting goes, this one was pretty quiet. Kelsey Mitchell's game is anything but.
Thanks to a highly efficient and dominant game Friday, Ohio State's Mitchell is now the NCAA's all-time leader in made 3-point field goals. The 5-foot-8 senior guard hit seven 3-pointers and now has 402 for her career.
And only about 150 people were there to see it.
The ninth-ranked Buckeyes, in Las Vegas as part of the Play4Kay Shootout at Mandalay Bay, beat Florida Gulf Coast 104-62 in Friday's semifinal round. The crowds for many holiday tournaments tend to be thin, and this one carries no television coverage.
The anonymity hardly stopped Mitchell from shining. She entered the game three 3-pointers short of the mark of 398 held by UConn's Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, then blew through it with six 3-pointers and 23 points in the first half.
The record-breaker came with 7:06 left in the second quarter. Mitchell took a pass in the left corner on a secondary fast break, flicked her left wrist and watched the ball drop as she fell to the floor, also managing to draw a foul. But as she walked to the free throw line, the handful of Buckeyes fans in attendance were probably more aware of the milestone than Mitchell.
"It didn't really dawn on me until Coach [Kevin] McGuff gave me the ball after the game," Mitchell said. "It wasn't really a goal or anything I set out to do, but now that I did I'm proud to be part of that list with other great players."
"These things don't happen by accident. I've never been around someone that works as hard. She's earned every one that she's made."Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff on Kelsey Mitchell's 3-point shooting
For good measure, Mitchell drilled No. 400 just moments later from the right wing as Ohio State (6-1) built a 31-point lead.
"These things don't happen by accident. I've never been around someone that works as hard. She's earned every one that she's made," said McGuff, who's hoping his team gets to make the short trip to the Final Four, which will be held in Columbus, Ohio. "Hopefully, she's got a few more of those for us this year."
Mitchell added one more on the night, capping a 7-for-11 performance from beyond the arc (and 11 of 14 from the field overall) and finishing with a season-high 34 points.
"We found a groove tonight and it felt good," Mitchell said. "I feel good every game, but tonight was just one of those nights where it really worked."
Comments
Post a Comment