[LitlBuck]

BuckeyeXtra - The Columbus Dispatch : Fearless Prahalis boosts Buckeyes

Ohio State 77 | Sacred Heart 63
Fearless Prahalis boosts Buckeyes
Sunday, March 22, 2009 3:53 AM
By Jim Massie

For just a moment in the second half yesterday in Nationwide Arena, the ghost of NCAA Tournaments past rattled its chains nearly loud enough to be heard above the din of the 5,249 mostly Ohio State fans nervously exhorting the women's basketball team to put away a pugnacious underdog.

The Buckeyes, the third seed in the Berkeley Regional, were locked in a struggle against 14th-seeded Sacred Heart in a first-round game that threatened to resemble opening upset losses to Marist and Florida State in the past two tournaments.

The moment passed because Samantha Prahalis apparently isn't afraid to whistle in the dark or thread a 40-foot pass in traffic that Jantel Lavender can catch and lay in the basket in one stride.

Prahalis put together a game for the ages while helping the Buckeyes run to a 77-63 victory over the Pioneers. The freshman point guard scored 23 points, had seven assists against one turnover and generally was in the middle of everything bad that happened to Sacred Heart.

"I think she was awesome," said Lavender, who posted a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. "She showed how she could get past people and she showed her talent, because that's her game. It was really effective today."

Continued