Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament: Second Round Recap

Day two of the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament is in the books, and honestly, it delivered everything you could want from March basketball—dominant performances, buzzer-beating drama, and one Luxembourger who absolutely refused to be upstaged. Let’s break it down.

Washington Sends USC Home With a Statement Win

Nobody was walking into day two expecting Washington to put on a clinic. But that’s exactly what they did. After a tight first quarter that had everyone wondering which team would blink first, Washington decided they were done playing nice. They took control, built a double-digit lead, and never looked back. Senior Elle Ladine dropped a season-high 25 points. Sophomore Avery Howell chipped in 18 points and 9 rebounds.

The bad news for USC came early and hit hard. Big Ten Freshman of the Year Jazzy Davidson took a collision with Howell and injured her shoulder. Davidson had been the engine of everything USC did, and losing her at full capacity was a gut punch the Trojans simply couldn’t recover from. Credit Washington, though: even with a healthy Davidson, they were playing well enough to win. Final score: 76-64.

Ohio State Does What Good Teams Do

Indiana walked into this Big Ten tournament on pure adrenaline, riding the high of their come-from-behind win against Nebraska. Good stories are great. Championship basketball is better. Ohio State wasn’t interested in letting the fairy tale continue.

The Buckeyes took command in the second quarter and never really let go. Senior Chance Gray hit a three-pointer at 7:35 that served as the dagger, pushing Ohio State ahead for good. From there, it was a matter of executing. Indiana fought, but this wasn’t their day. Final score: 83-59. Indiana, you gave us something memorable this week. But Ohio State is here to win a tournament, not hand out participation trophies.

Illinois Survives a Heart Attack Against Michigan State

This one. This game was a Big Ten classic. Illinois led 71-69 with 31.9 seconds left, inbounding from the Michigan State end. Simple enough. Get the ball in, run the clock, go home happy. Instead, they nearly handed Michigan State the most gut-wrenching gift in recent Big Ten memory.

With 19 seconds left, Illinois attempted a post pass that had no business existing. Michigan State knocked it away, forced a scramble, and got the ball back. Now, here’s where basketball logic kicks in: sophomore Kennedy Blair had just dropped 30 points on 61% shooting. You find her. You get her the ball. You let her go to work.

Michigan State ran the right play. Senior Grace VanSlooten set a beautiful free-throw-line pick, Blair got downhill, and she had a defender playing drop coverage in front of her. It was her shot to take. Instead, she forced a pass toward senior Jalyn Brown that barely grazed her fingertips before going out of bounds. Illinois held on, 71-69. Thrilling for neutral fans. Devastating for anyone wearing green.

Oregon’s Second Half Comeback Stuns Maryland

Maryland had Oregon exactly where they wanted them in a Big Ten slug fest. Sophomore Ehis Etute had 2 points. Sophomore Katie Fiso had 0. At halftime, the Terrapins were feeling good about life. Then the second half happened.

Etute and Fiso combined for 32 points after the break, and Oregon flipped the script entirely. Neither team led by double digits, but Oregon’s execution down the stretch was the difference.

The moment of the game? Etute’s chase-down block on a Maryland fast break against senior Oluchi Okananwa. Pure athleticism, pure will. But honestly, her post-defense on junior Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu with 35 seconds remaining might have been even more impressive. Four fouls. One clutch stop. No fear. That’s not just good basketball. That’s big-game DNA.

Shoutout to Luxembourg. Whatever they’re putting in the water over there, it’s working. Final score: Oregon 73, Maryland 68.