Ohio State's Elsa Lemmilä Scores 21 After Family Reunion

When your support system lives 4,500 miles away and you're recovering from knee and ankle surgeries alone, every basket feels heavier. Ohio State center Elsa Lemmilä knows this better than anyone.

The 6-foot-7 Finnish sophomore started her season struggling to find her rhythm after two surgeries. She played reduced minutes off the bench while her body healed and her family watched games at 1:30 a.m. from Finland, when they could watch at all.

Then everything changed when her family came to Ohio for the holidays. Her mom stayed six weeks, her sister a month, and her dad a few weeks, all living in her apartment.

"That was the first time I saw my sister since May," Lemmilä said. "First time I see my dad and mom since July. It really brings a good boost of support and energy to me after being alone for so many months."

The numbers tell the comeback story. Coach Kevin McGuff returned Lemmilä to the starting lineup on December 28 against then-No. 4 UCLA, and she responded with the best basketball of her career.

Over her last six games, Lemmilä averaged nearly a double-double with 10.8 points and 7.7 rebounds while playing 31.7 minutes per game. Against Rutgers, she notched her first career double-double.

On Wednesday night, with her mom in the crowd, Lemmilä tied her career high with 21 points against Penn State. She shot an efficient 10-for-12 from the floor, matching up against 6-foot-6 center Gracie Merkle, who holds the highest field goal percentage in NCAA history.

"She really ran the floor. And she's really fast," McGuff told reporters. "You see her get better each week, and she gets more comfortable playing out there."

Sunny's Take

College athletes juggle practice, travel, classes, and recovery, but doing it thousands of miles from home adds another layer of challenge. For Lemmilä, whose mom is an Ohio native and Ohio State graduate, the Buckeyes became a bridge between two homes.

The timing of her family's visit during recovery wasn't coincidental. It was essential support that helped transform a struggling player into a key piece of Ohio State's recent success.

Sometimes the best medicine isn't just physical therapy, it's having the people who raised you in the stands when you need them most.