{"id":24896,"date":"2025-02-22T07:47:21","date_gmt":"2025-02-22T07:47:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.letsportsrock.com\/?p=24896"},"modified":"2025-02-22T07:47:21","modified_gmt":"2025-02-22T07:47:21","slug":"columbus-oh-former-ohio-state-womens-basketball-star-katie-smith-made-a-highly-anticipated-return-to-the-schottenstein-center-for-the-first-time-in-five-years-witnessing-a-84-63-l","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.letsportsrock.com\/?p=24896","title":{"rendered":"COLUMBUS, OH \u2013 Former Ohio State women\u2019s basketball star Katie Smith made a highly anticipated return to the Schottenstein Center for the first time in five years, witnessing a 84-63 loss to the University of Southern California&#8230;."},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"d79db4796efc26332eabfc3f5dafbc76\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<div class=\"hb-ad-inarticle\">\r\n    <div class=\"hb-ad-inner\"> \r\n    <div class=\"hbagency_cls\"  id=\"hbagency_space_111930\"><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>COLUMBUS, OH \u2013 Former Ohio State women\u2019s basketball star Katie Smith made a highly anticipated return to the Schottenstein Center for the first time in five years, witnessing a 84-63 loss to the University of Southern California&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Former Ohio State women\u2019s basketball star Katie Smith made a long-awaited return to the Schottenstein Center, marking her first appearance in five years. The Buckeyes, however, struggled on the court, suffering an 84-63 loss to the University of Southern California. Despite the disappointing outcome, Smith\u2019s presence was a bright spot for fans who fondly remember her as one of the program\u2019s all-time greats.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-24898\" src=\"https:\/\/www.letsportsrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/a7535008-310e-4935-95f8-ae675a06ba51-TaylorMikesellvs.Iowa2_-300x168.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.letsportsrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/a7535008-310e-4935-95f8-ae675a06ba51-TaylorMikesellvs.Iowa2_-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/www.letsportsrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/a7535008-310e-4935-95f8-ae675a06ba51-TaylorMikesellvs.Iowa2_.png 648w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Smith, a three-time All-American and the program\u2019s all-time leading scorer, was celebrated for her contributions to Ohio State and women\u2019s basketball as a whole. After a storied college career, she went on to achieve success in the WNBA and on the international stage, winning multiple championships and Olympic gold medals.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>During her visit, Smith interacted with fans, shared memories, and observed a Buckeyes squad that faced challenges against a tough USC team. The Trojans took control early and maintained their lead, capitalizing on Ohio State\u2019s turnovers and defensive lapses.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Though the loss was disappointing, Smith\u2019s return served as a reminder of the rich history and legacy of Ohio State women\u2019s basketball. Fans left with a sense of appreciation for the past, even as the team looks to build for the future.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>COLUMBUS, OH \u2013 Former Ohio State women\u2019s basketball star Katie Smith made a highly anticipated return to the Schottenstein Center for the first time in five years, witnessing a 84-63 loss to the University of Southern California&#8230; &nbsp; Former Ohio State women\u2019s basketball star Katie Smith made a long-awaited return to the Schottenstein Center, marking [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":24897,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[405],"class_list":["post-24896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-ohio-state"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>COLUMBUS, OH \u2013 Former Ohio State women\u2019s basketball.....<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"COLUMBUS, OH \u2013 Former Ohio State women\u2019s basketball star Katie Smith made a highly anticipated return to the Schottenstein Center for the...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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