The 2nd Annual Coretta Scott King Classic provided two exciting matchups for New Jersey women’s basketball on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The action began at noon as No. 12 Ohio State shook off a poor start to defeat No. 9 TCU 71-69. Later in the day, No. 5 Vanderbilt held off a comeback from No. 7 Michigan to win 72-69 and remain undefeated.
Besides a basketball-filled afternoon, it was a good day to remember those who worked hard for civil rights. Before the games began, Dr. Bernice King, daughter of Coretta and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., spoke to players from the four teams about the challenges certain groups in the country still face, including women’s sports.
It was a momentous event for everyone involved, but perhaps especially so for Ohio State’s Chance Gray. Gray, who was the leading scorer in the Buckeyes’ win, is the granddaughter of Benjamin Hawks, who worked for Martin Luther King Jr. and was a former executive director of the NAACP, according to the Daily Mail. Associated Press.
“He was a civil rights leader, a judge, a lawyer, and he was from Memphis,” Gray said. “He worked closely with Dr. King. There’s a lot of history and my family was happy that he was part of that history.”
Here are some key points from the Coretta Scott King Classic:
Vanderbilt is deeper than Mikayla Blakes
Mikayla Blakes is one of the best scorers in the country and often takes the spotlight. However, in the game against Michigan, Vanderbilt showed that the team can still be dangerous even when not in full charge of the offense. Blakes still contributed 14 points, but she is averaging over 25 points per game and this was her lowest scoring game of the season. She was also in foul trouble as she picked up her fourth personal foul midway through the third quarter.
Freshman Aubrey Galvan stepped up in a big way and led Vanderbilt with a career-high 20 points while shooting 50% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. Justine Bisut did a little bit of everything with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks. Sasha Washington also contributed nine points, while Ayanna Mitchell gave the Commodores seven points off the bench.
“I’m very proud of us,” Blakes said during her postgame interview with FOX. “I think everyone did something special when they came into the game. That’s part of being on a team.”
Michigan showed heart and fight in its comeback attempt
Despite being on the losing end, the Wolverines can hold their heads high with how hard they fought in their loss to Vanderbilt. Michigan fell behind by as many as 19 points but made the right adjustments to hold the Commodores to just 25 points in the second half.
The Wolverines had a good chance to take the lead, and maybe even win the game, when Olivia Olson got a great look for a 3-pointer with six seconds remaining. The loss was unfortunate, but they kept fighting until the last second. Syla Swords got another 3-pointer attempt as time ran out, but that one didn’t work out either.
Kim Barnes Arico has a young roster with several sophomores playing key roles, and inexperience can lead to costly mistakes. Michigan struggled to maintain possession of the ball and gave up 22 points on 17 turnovers. There were also several easy layups that the team didn’t make. But the main problem for Michigan was falling behind too much early in the game, which also happened when the team nearly beat No. 1 UConn in November. The Wolverines can play hard and never back down, but they need to work on consistency and come out strong in the first half. Hopefully that kind of loss helps the Wolverines in March.
Gray’s opportunity was the spark Ohio State needed
The Buckeyes had a rough start with only eight points in the first quarter. That included Gray, who recorded a 3-pointer and a turnover in just those 10 minutes. However, it turned up the heat and held off 17 of Ohio State’s 33 points in the first half.
“Chance really stepped up and had an amazing game,” the coach said Kevin McGuff said after the game. “We had a terrible first quarter as a team, but when we started the second quarter, a lot of it had to do with fluke.”
She finished the day with 22 points, which included going 6 of 8 from beyond the arc. One of those 3-pointers was a key bucket for Ohio State with just 16 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
The Buckeyes are led by Galloni Cambridge this season, with 21.8 points per game, but this roster has multiple scoring options and Monday was Gray’s time to shine. Along with Cambridge, Kylie Kitts was a key contributor in the win over Maryland last week. Against Penn State, Elsa Lemela, who averages 7.8 points per game, tied for 21 points. She brought that momentum to Monday’s game with 17 points.
TCU has a turnover problem
One stat that pops out of the stat sheet is the Horned Frogs giving up 18 points from 20 turnovers. Ohio State deserves some credit because its style of play has made top teams like UCLA uncomfortable. However, TCU had a turnover problem most of the season.
It was the third time this season that TCU had at least 20 turnovers. The first time was 20 against Sam Houston in early November, and the most recent was 24 in a 51-50 win over West Virginia. That game against the Mountaineers could have easily been a loss, but Marta Suarez saved the Horned Frogs’ save with a last-second 3-pointer.