Women's Basketball
Team Effort Lifts Buckeyes to Win Over Bulldogs and Berth in Sweet Sixteen
By John PorentasOhio State sophomore center Jantel Lavender and freshman point guard Samantha Prahalis have been the two main cogs in the Ohio State basketball team, often carrying the team to victory this season.
Against Mississippi State however, Lavender was not her usual self offensively, and the Bulldogs did everything they could to take her off her game, at times double and triple teaming her. Prahalis had a poor night shooting, going one of nine from the field.
Most nights that would have been a disaster, but against talented and determined Mississippi State (23-10) it didn't matter as a host of other Buckeyes stepped up to pick up the slack to help OSU (29-5) to a hard fought 64-58 win to advance to the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament.
MSU guard Tysheka Grimes put on a show in the first half, scoring 20 of her team's 33 points to keep the Bulldogs within two at 33-31 at the half. Grimes' offense kept her team in the game in a half that saw 10 lead changes and three ties. OSU's halftime lead came complements of reserve Sarah Schultze who was playing in place starter Star Allen after Allen went to the bench with two fouls with 2:40 left in the half. Schultze got a tip in at the buzzer to give OSU the slim halftime lead.
"She has a knack at the end of a half for coming up with big baskets," said OSU Head Coach Jim Foster.
The second half was the same kind of dogfight as the first. OSU held the early advantage, but the Bulldogs went on a 9-4 run to take a 58-54 lead, their biggest of the game, with 6:43 remaining to play. The Buckeyes however, knew exactly what they would have to do to pull out the win.
"It just came down to who wanted to win more, who was wanting to get the defensive stops in a row and I think our team came together and we said we were going to get the defensive stops in a row and we did," said Lavender.
OSU did not simply get a few stops in a row over the last 6:43, they pitched a shutout. Mississippi State did not score again.
Reserves Maria Moeller, Andrea Walker and Schultze on the floor along with starters Lavender and Prahalis for most of the stretch run. The Buckeyes outscored Mississippi State 8-0 over that time to claim the win. Prahalis, Moeller and Schultze. were able to take away Mississippi State's dribble drive game which had been so effective throughout the game and the duo of Walker and Lavender was able to dominate defensively down low and intimidate MSU shooters when they got the ball close to the basket.
"We're big. She's 6-4 and I'm 6-3, so that's a pretty intimidating front line," said Lavender commenting on OSU's late-game defense in the paint. "I definitely noticed they were a little timid when they got the ball down there."
OSU's scoring over the last 6:43 came on a pair of pressure free throws by Moeller, her only two points of the game, to cut the lead to 58-56. Schultze then made one of two free throws to make it 58-57. Prahalis also made one of two free throws to tie the game at 58. Two more free throws by Lavender put OSU up 60-58, two more by Prahalis made it 62-58, and two more by Allen made the final score 64-58. For the game OSU made 18 of 24 from the line. MSU made six of nine to give OSU a 12 point advantage from the stripe.
"We have made more foul shots than our opponents have attempted (this season)," said Foster, "but that's the way we play."
"We needed to get to the free throw line and we put them there," lamented MSU Head Coach Sharon Fanning.
Despite a sub par shooting night by her standards Lavender was still OSU's leading scorer with 20 points. Allen was OSU's only other double digit scorer with 12, but four other Buckeyes scored six or more in OSU's balanced attack. Prahalis added eight, five on free throws and three on a three point goal. Brittany Johnson contrbuted nine, Ashlee Trebilcock six, and Schultze seven. Though she did not score, Walker came up huge with seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 18 minutes of play. She was particularly effective in OSU's 8-0 run to end the game.
"I think Andrea Walker really did a great job of showing, blocked a shot or two, I think her presence was huge," said Foster.
Grimes was the game's leading scorer with 22, but the Buckeyes were able to limit her to just two points in the second half.
"We didn't guard her. We didn't guard her in the first half," said Foster explaining the turnaround.
"She hit two transition threes where you (the reporter asking the question) could have gotten closer to her than the (OSU) players were."
The win was particularly satisfying for the Buckeyes after two consecutive first-round exits from the tournament which drew national criticism. They have now advanced to the Sweet-16 to silence some of those critics.
"I feel excellent because it's been a struggle the past couple of years," said Allen. "We put that behind us."
They also showed that they could win against a good team even when Lavender and Prahalis were not at the top of their games.
"The team played so hard," said senior guard Ashlee Trebilcock.
"Schultze stepped up huge, Brittany stepped up, Drea (Andrea Walker) stepped up, it wasn't just the regular duo running the show, everybody stepped up.
"In order for us to get past the next game we have to continue that, everybody a collective effort," Trebilcock said.
"I think that's huge," agreed Lavender.
"That's the mark of a championship team, when you can take away a go-to player and the team still wins. I think this team this year is a championship team."
Notes:
* Slowing them Down: The Bulldogs were a fast, athletic team, particularly at guard where Grimes and fellow guard Alexis Rack led them in scoring with 22 and 19 respectively. Rack was able to knock down three three pointers and was fast enough to find gaps in the OSU defense and penetrate for shots. What MSU could not do was run on the Buckeyes, something they wanted to do.
"We wanted to attack and run as much as we could," said MSU Head Coach Sharon Fanning.
"They (OSU) do a good job of getting back. They do a good job of pushing the ball and they know how to play well and they guard you hard."
Mississippi State scored seven fast break points, OSU six.
* Sweet Sixteen: OSU advances to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2005 and the eighth time in school history. OSU Head Coach Jim Foster has made 10 appearances in the Sweet Sixteen, eight at Vanderbilt and two at Ohio State.
* Bench Power: Ohio State's bench outscored Mississippi State's 15-4.
* Lavender Rises: With her 20 points Jantel Lavender went over 700 points on the season and into second place on OSU's single-season scoring list with 713 this year. Katie Smith holds OSU's single season record with 745 in the 1995-96 season.
* Lavender Streaks: Lavender has scored 10 or more points in all 65 of her collegiate appearances tying her with Megan Frazee of Liberty for the nations longest streak of double digit scoring.
* Swan Song: Star Allen, a Columbus area native, played what is likely her last college game in Columbus and went out with style. She had the only double-double on either roster with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Allen said she had a sizable rooting section on hand for her final appearance in Columbus.
"I had a lot. Probably more than 30," said Allen estimating the number of friends and relatives she had in the crowd for the game.
One of Allen's rebounds was a rebound of a missed free throw by Sarah Schultze. with 15 seconds to play and OSU leading by four. The rebound shut the door on any comeback bid by Mississippi State, particularly when Allen was fouled and made two free throws to put OSU up by six with 13 second remaining. Her rebound also took Schultze off the hook after Schultze missed two free throws that could have iced the game. Schultze said that Allen told her before the shot that the pressure was off.
"Right before I shot the ball Star looked at me and said 'It's OK, I've got the rebound.' I was like 'No, I'm going to make it,' and then it was clank, and she gets the rebound," said Schultze.
"I told her no pressure. If you miss it, I'll get the rebound, if you make it, we're good. She missed it so I had to go get it, I had to stick by my word," said Allen.
* Live to Play Again: OSU has just two seniors on the roster, Allen and Ashlee Trebilcock. Trebilcock said that as the clock wound down in the tight game with MSU the finality of a loss began to occur to her.
"As the minutes were winding down it was like 'Could this be it, are you going to have practice tomorrow?'" said Trebilcock.
"It's such a crazy feeling but it's such and exciting feeling knowing we're going to the sweet-16."
Return to the-OZone Front Page
(c) 2009 The O-Zone, O-Zone
Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, rebroadcast,rewritten, or redistributed.