Ohio State women's basketball sets program record with 18,660 fans in attendance vs. Iowa
Ohio State women's basketball shattered program records with historic arena attendance at Value City Arena during a stunning 100-92 upset win over Iowa on Sunday.
The arena played host to 18,660 fans who witnessed the Buckeyes overcome Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark's 45 points, as Ohio State took the ballgame into overtime to squeeze out the narrow victory. Fans lined up outside Value City Arena, arriving well in advance of the door opening at 10:30 a.m., an hour and a half before the noon tip-off.
The line outside the Schottenstein Center of people waiting to get in to watch Ohio State women’s basketball host Iowa and Caitlin Clark today. pic.twitter.com/hITpkUwmo5
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 21, 2024
Ohio State football wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. — who won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's best receiver — was also in attendance to watch the Buckeyes host Clark and the Hawkeyes after announcing his decision to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft on Jan. 11.
Marvin Harrison Jr. honored at the Schottenstein Center for the second day in a row. pic.twitter.com/4jq2FFe2jx
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 21, 2024
Ohio State expanded access to the upper level of Value City Arena for Sunday's women's basketball game, selling out all available tickets. In contrast, the January 2023 match against Iowa, which also sold out, limited attendance to the lower levels, hosting 9,955 fans.
Before the game, Ohio State's Celeste Taylor took note of the crowd.
“You can see that the women's game is growing day by day, so in that aspect, it’s really cool," Taylor said before the game, via Eleven Warriors. "And then just to be able to have a whole bunch of fans in the Schott, I think that's gonna be really fun for us. The energy, the crowd, whether that be against us or with us, it's gonna be great to have people watch two great teams go at it.”
Sophomore forward Cotie McMahon put up 33 points and 12 rebounds, while senior guard Jacy Sheldon added 24 points and played every minute of the game to overcome the No. 2 Hawkeyes and hand them their second loss of the season.
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The Buckeyes will travel to Illinois to take on the Fighting Illini at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. The rematch between Ohio State and Iowa will take place on March 3, this time with the Buckeyes on the road.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State women's basketball sets attendance record with 18,660 fans
