COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State senior guard Kelsey Mitchell, a 2014 Princeton High School graduate, became the Buckeyes’ all-time leading scorer in the women’s basketball program Wednesday night as Ohio State defeated host Florida 103-77 in in Gainesville.
And just on cue, the ever-humble Mitchell didn’t make a big deal of the milestone after the 103-77 win over Florida.
“Thank you for informing me,” Mitchell said in the postgame news conference about the milestone. “I feel the same really as I did before, but I am happy to contribute.”
Ohio State was happy to receive the All-American’s contributions Wednesday night. Mitchell scored 30 points and had a season-high five steals against Florida. Her record-breaking field goal came on a runner in the lane with 2:57 to play in the first quarter.
Thursday morning, the Ohio State team returned to the practice floor. Those around the program know what Mitchell has meant to the team. Outside observers see the points, but Mitchell has a command of the offense and has effectively involved her teammates.
"She is incredibly humble in the face of an amazing accomplishment," Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff told WCPO.com Thursday afternoon. "This is a huge deal. This is a very storied program. She's earned every accolade she's received."
Mitchell passed current Los Angeles Sparks center Jantel Lavender on Ohio State’s scoring list. Lavender had 2,818 career points from 2007-11.
Mitchell, named an Associated Press preseason All-American for a third consecutive season, has 2,840 career points. She also moved into third place all-time on the Big Ten scoring list. Wednesday night also marked the fifth 30-point game of the season for Mitchell and her 25th of her career.
“I’m always on the edge as far as competing at a high level,” Mitchell told the Columbus Dispatch. “I think that’s why I try to be the best me I can possibly be. I’m a competitor, at the end of the day I hate losing. This particular accolade is not something I’ve even been concerned about but to be a part of the list and being in competition with others that have made great strides throughout the course of women’s basketball history, I’m very grateful and I’m very excited about the win, more importantly, tonight.”
Mitchell, who helped the USA Basketball Women's Under-23 team win a gold medal in the Four Nations Tournament in Japan in mid-August, was a McDonald's All-American at Princeton and led the Lady Vikings to a Division I state title in 2014 prior to joining Ohio State.
“I am very proud of Kelsey and all of her accomplishments,” Princeton coach Jill Phillips told WCPO.com. “For her to set the scoring record this early in her senior season is a great accomplishment and it speaks to how impressive her overall career has been at Ohio State.”
Ohio State (9-2) plays host to Dartmouth at 7 p.m. Dec. 15 at the Schottenstein Center. The Buckeyes play at UC Dec. 17.
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