Lady Bucks Basketball Thread

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

<H1 class=red>OSU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

</H1>

Sunday, November 12, 2006



Ohio State went 29-3 overall, 15-1 in the Big Ten. Won the Big Ten Tournament and earned the league's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament, where the Buckeyes defeated Oakland, 68-45, and then lost to Boston College, 79-69.

Player to watch

Jessica Davenport is the most decorated Buckeyes player ever, and she enters her senior season with perhaps her best chance at finally playing in a Final Four.
Davenport, who has averaged 17 points and eight rebounds for her career, is a two-time first- team Associated Press All-American and the Big Ten's player of the year the past two seasons. She has played on teams that have gone 80-18, won two conference titles, a Big Ten tournament title and have played in three NCAA tournaments.

Keys to the season

Health of Brandie Hoskins.
Hoskins tore an Achilles' tendon late in the tournament defeat and spent the rest of the spring and summer rehabbing. She has apparently conquered an injury that not so long ago left an athlete barely able to walk after six months.
Finding chemistry with six new players in the rotation.
Coach Jim Foster lost several key components from last year's team, including starting power forward Debbie Merrill and point guards Ashley Allen and Kim Wilburn.
He begins his 29th year as a Division I head coach shuffling five freshmen and acclaimed transfer Ashlee Trebilcock into the mix.
Andrea Walker, an athletic 6-5 center from West Allegheny, Pa., will learn from Davenport while trading elbows with her in practice. Foster says he may even put them together on the floor from time to time - a daunting prospect for any team hoping to get a rebound or a shot in the paint.
- Rusty Miller,
Associated Press

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

No. 7 Ohio St. 77, Army 41

11/12/2006, 6:45 p.m. ET By DOUG FEINBERG
The Associated Press


WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) ? An impressive performance by Ohio State put a damper on a special day for the Army women's basketball team.

Jessica Davenport scored 16 of her 22 points in the first half to help No. 7 Ohio State beat Army 77-41 on Sunday in the inaugural Maggie Dixon Classic.

The game was the second half of a doubleheader created by Pittsburgh men's coach Jamie Dixon, the older brother of Maggie, as a way to honor her following her death in April at age 28. Just three weeks after leading Army to its first NCAA tournament appearance as a first-year coach, Dixon died of arrhythmia, probably caused by an enlarged heart.

"It's a very emotional day for everyone here at the academy," said Army coach Dave Magarity, who was an assistant for Maggie last season. "It's something we've had in the back of our minds and we knew it was going to be tough."


Jamie Dixon's fourth-ranked Panthers beat Western Michigan 86-67 in the opener.

Between games, Maggie Dixon's parents, her sister, Julie Dixon-Silva, and Jamie were presented with a ring commemorating the 2005-06 Patriot League championship. Banners honoring the title and Maggie as conference coach of the year were unveiled in the rafters of Christl Arena.

"It was hard when we were going through the ceremony," said Cara Enright, who led Army with 20 points. "We knew once the ball went up it was time to play."

The Ohio State team stood attentively during the ceremony and watched, soaking in the scene.

"The level of their poise was impressive for my young players and veterans to see," said Ohio State coach Jim Foster. "It was a great experience for us."

Full of emotion, the Black Knights found themselves only trailing 21-13 with 11:35 left in the first half before the Buckeyes went on a 13-3 run capped by consecutive 3-pointers by Marscilla Packer, who led the Big Ten in 3-point shooting last season.

"We didn't score inside and we didn't rebound," Magarity said.

The Buckeyes extended the margin to 47-26 at the half despite Army shooting 50 percent (11-for-22).

The Black Knights went cold in the second half, scoring only one basket in the first 9:19 as the Buckeyes built a 69-29 lead.

Ohio State controlled the boards, outrebounding Army 43-21, including a 21-4 advantage in the first half. Davenport, the two-time Big Ten player of the year, had 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.


"I think we rebounded well," Davenport said. "As the game went on we picked it up offensively and defensively."

Brandie Hoskins scored 13 points and Tamarah Riley added 10 for the Buckeyes.

"We're proud to be part of something that we hope will be an annual affair," Foster said. "We're proud to have been in the first."

It was the first meeting between the schools and dropped Army to 0-7 in school history against Top Ten teams. The Black Knights lost 102-54 to Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA tournament last season.

 

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Davenport is too big a challenge for Black Knights
Monday, November 13, 2006
Jim Massie
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

JIM MCKNIGHT ASSOCIATED PRESS Ohio State?s Star Allen puts up a shot while being guarded by Army defender Megan Evans.

WEST POINT, N.Y. ? All the emotion in the world couldn?t help Army find a rebound against Ohio State yesterday in the opening game of the season for both women?s basketball teams.
No matter that the Black Knights desperately wanted to win the inaugural Maggie Dixon Classic in memory of their late coach. They found the seventh-ranked Buckeyes simply too big, too fast and too talented to allow the fairytale ending.
Senior Jessica Davenport powered OSU to a 77-41 victory in Cristl Arena with 22 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots. Davenport, whose 6-foot-5 frame allowed her to play over the top of the smaller Black Knights, did her damage in just 24 minutes.
In the first half alone, the Buckeyes out- rebounded Army 21-4 while breaking to 47-26 lead. The dominance quickly quieted the crowd of 2,785, which included the vocal and uniformed Corps of Cadets.
"We did things well," said Davenport, who was 9 of 10 from the field. "As the game moved on, we picked up defensively and offensively. I think we got those first-game jitters out and just played our game."
The afternoon marked the return of senior guard Brandie Hoskins. When last seen in the NCAA Tournament upset loss to Boston College in March, she was being carried off the court after suffering a ruptured right Achilles? tendon.
Surgery and months of rehabilitation and practice led to this game. Hoskins responded with 13 points, five assists and two steals while helping freshman point guard Maria Moeller get through her first college game.
"I was really anxious and really ready," Hoskins said. "I think my teammates did a good job of getting me ready. I feel great. We won. That helps."
The lopsided score allowed coach Jim Foster to use all 12 players on his roster for at least five minutes each. At one point in the second half, he had all five freshmen on the floor.
"I was sitting there watching five freshmen for about 3:51. I probably aged about two years," Foster said. "But they did a pretty good job."
He was particularly pleased with the performance of 6-5 center Andrea Walker.
"We?ve been telling her about how fast she?s playing and she?s got to slow down in games," Foster said. "All of a sudden, she made three back-to-thebasket moves at the tempo that is going to allow her to be successful at this level, and we didn?t see it coming."
The Buckeyes did expect the emotion in the arena during the pregame ceremony honoring Dixon, who died in April of heart arrhythmia at the age of 28. Her parents, brother and sister received Patriot League championship rings.
"Our kids knew what was going on," Foster said. "We felt it was a great honor to be involved in this. This is a great educational place, and the tradition and the history of it are mind-boggling. I think we were just proud to be part of something that we hope is an annual affair. We?ll always be the first."
Junior Tamarah Riley roared off the OSU bench to score 10 points and pull down a careerhigh nine rebounds. Cara Enright led Army with 20 points.

 

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Monday, November 13, 2006

 

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

OHIO STATE WOMEN?S BASKETBALL
No letdown with freshman guards
Moeller, Little contribute defensively, offensively

Friday, November 17, 2006

Jim Massie
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH




Ohio State freshmen guards Maria Moeller and Shavelle Little came through their first college basketball game Sunday at Army largely unscathed. The two thrived more often than not during a 77-41 victory.
After the win, coach Jim Foster praised the "ball pressure" the two kept on the Black Knight guards. During media interviews yesterday, Foster added the offense that Moeller and Little supplied to the positive side of the ledger.
"We had six assists and three turnovers coming out of the point guard position," Foster said. "That would be equal to the constant ball pressure. So they took care of
"I think it was pretty much what I expected," Moeller said. "The atmosphere was great. Just to play in an atmosphere like that was a great experience. The upperclassmen helped us stay calm and just play like we normally play."
Little tried to treat the experience like any other she has had on the court.
"It was basketball for me," she said. "I expected everything to go the way it did. I think I did OK. I think I?m capable of doing better. Everyone has a strength. For me, it?s defense. I?m going to continue to pressure the ball and continue to build on everything else."
Ohio State plays Boston College at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Value City Arena, and plays host to Cornell, Montana and Davidson in the Buckeye Classic on Nov. 25 and 26 in St. John Arena.

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the ball on offense and were disruptive on defense."
Moeller and Little will see guards as quick as they are at noon Sunday when No. 7 Ohio State (1-0) plays host to No. 19 Southern California (1-0) in Value City Arena. That can be an eye-opening experience for freshmen. Foster figures that practice sessions already have introduced Moeller and Little to that next gear.
"If you don?t have people that can pressure the ball in practice, and the first time you get pressured is in a game scenario, there?s a tendency to get rattled for sure," Foster said. "But playing against each other in practice has made them better. It?s not as much of a shock effect." Moeller started the opener. She had five points, three assists, two steals and two rebounds. Little came off the bench and contributed two points, two rebounds, three assists and one steal. Both had fun.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

USC offers tougher test
Defensive attention on Davenport could put onus on guards

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Jim Massie
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

With Southern California refusing to let Jessica Davenport score at will, Ohio State struggled to an 11-point win last season.


The game plan for beating the Ohio State women?s basketball team really hasn?t changed since Southern California took a hard run at the Buckeyes last season in Los Angeles.
The Women of Troy threw a human fence around All-American center Jessica Davenport and forced the OSU offense to the perimeter. The strategy worked for a while, but the Buckeyes ultimately grinded out a 68-57 victory.
"Every team is going to have some plan of attack," OSU coach Jim Foster said. "The teams that decide to guard her one-on-one. ? I mean, she?s got enough 30-point plus games in her career to understand that that?s not a very good idea.
"Trying to make us beat you in other ways, I think, that is probably a pretty good idea. Having said that, (offensively) we have more ways and more options than we?ve had."
The rematch today in Value City Arena will be the first chance for the seventh-ranked Buckeyes (1-0) to prove it against a quality team. Southern California (1-1) is ranked 19 th and has three starters returning from the 2005-06 team led by all-Pacific-10 guard Eshaya Murphy.
The Women of Troy and the Buckeyes, however, have a common trait. Both teams are depending on highly regarded freshmen to play early and often. Point guard Maria Moeller started for Ohio State on Sunday in a season-opening 77-41 win at Army.
USC coach Mark Trakh, who lost top recruit Jackie Gemelos to a knee injury, still is starting freshmen Morghan Medlock and Hailey Dunham. Foster played all five of his freshmen against Army. He liked what he saw, but knows youth and inconsistency go hand in hand.
"When you have a young team, they need more than one experience," Foster said. "If it?s a one-experience blip, my kids think that 1,000 cadets are going to show up and sit in the bleachers every time we play.
"Our veterans know that?s not the case. The veterans know that Southern Cal is going to be a lot different than Army. The freshmen don?t. They think it?s going to be the same. Three of them probably will be looking for the cadets."
Davenport remembers the Southern California defense.
"They?re a long, athletic team," she said. "They doubled and triple-teamed. (I?m expecting) pretty much the same look. Hopefully, we can shoot them out of that."
As the point guard, Moeller knows her job in those situations.
"I?ve just got to let her know she?s got a triple-team, and make sure that she can see the open player," she said. "Guards on the perimeter have to let us know where the double teams are coming from and get to open spots on the court."
Davenport expects Moeller, senior Brandie Hoskins and junior Marscilla Packer to relieve the inside pressure.
"If the guards are hitting their perimeter shots, the person can?t come down and double," Davenport said. "They have to be a little apprehensive about it. We already know you can?t leave Packer open because she?ll hit the three. Brandie is shooting the ball pretty well, and Maria is great at hitting the open shot. We might be able to shoot them out of it."
The Buckeyes continue a busy week at 7 p.m. Tuesday when they play host to NCAA Tournament nemesis Boston College in Value City Arena. The Eagles upset the Buckeyes in the second round in March.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

cstv.com

No. 19 USC Falls 77-58 To Strong No. 6 Ohio State

Chloe Kerr scores 20 to lead the Women of Troy.


Nov. 19, 2006


COLUMBUS, OHIO. -- The No. 19-ranked USC women's basketball team suffered another road loss with a 77-58 defeat to No. 6 Ohio State on Sunday afternoon at Value City Arena. The Buckeyes had four players finish in double figures, while the Women of Troy were led by a 20-point outing from Chloe Kerr and another double-double from Shay Murphy with 19 points and 11 rebounds. USC is now 1-2 overall, while Ohio State improves to 2-0 with the win.
It was a two-player game on both ends of the court through the start of the first half, as USC's Chloe Kerr and Shay Murphy generated the scoring production for the Trojans while the Buckeyes had Jessica Davenport and Brandie Hoskins pump in the load to help OSU to a 19-13 lead. The Buckeyes added two more scorers soon after, however, and streaked ahead on a 9-0 run before USC's tag-team struck again and Kerr converted on a three-point play to make it 24-16 at the 6:15 mark of the first half. Kerr delivered an assist to Murphy low and then hit a pair of free throws to get the score to 26-20 and notch her 12th point of the game, matching Davenport's count thus far in the half. Freshman Hailey Dunham joined the two Trojan seniors in the socring column with a baseline jumper to cut the lead to 26-20, but OSU had answering low-post scores from Star Allen and Davenport and a fadeaway from Marscilla Packer to help hold a 35-24 advantage at halftime. USC led the rebounding battle 19-17 in the first half, but 16 Trojan turnovers were a big obstacle to keeping close to the Buckeyes, leaving the Women of Troy with some work to do in the second half. USC cut down on the turnovers for the secon half, but the Buckeyes continued to produce on offense, shooting 63 percent from the field in the half to finish with a 51 percent outing. USC also upped its scoring in the half, shooting 40 percent to finish the game at 37 percent.
Kerr delivered a putback to start the second half, but OSU dealt out another 9-0 run before Kerr looped in a score in the paint to make it 44-28. OSU took a 22-point lead before Aarika Hughes knocked down a jumper to get the score to 52-32. Davenport put in her 20th point of the game soon after, however, and the Buckeyes were up 54-22 with 12 minutes to go. Nadia Parker hit her first shots of the game, but both of those were met by answering buckets from OSU. Morghan Medlock stuffed a Buckeye try from down low, and the Trojans tallied their first back-to-back scores of the half when Jamie Hagiya knocked down a pair of free-throws and Murphy drained a three. Murphy nailed her fourth 3-pointer after two Andrea Walker free throws, and then Kerr slipped in a putback for her 20th point of the day to make it 66-48 with just over 5 minutes remaning. USC's press pulled out a steal and Murphy finished the layup, but again the Buckeyes struck low to stay up by 20 at 73-53 as the teams entered the final two minutes. After Hughes drained a 3-pointer to get the score to 75-56, Simone Jelks and Hagiya combined again on the press to force a turnover and get the ball back in Trojan hands with 1:30 on the clock. Morghan Medlock became USC's seventh player to score with a left-handed layup late in the game, bringing the final to 77-58 to put a close to a tough road trip for the Women of Troy.

Ohio State's Jessica Davenport led all scorers with 26 points, and Brandie Hoskins added 18 to pace the Buckeyes. Murphy's 19-point day marked the senior's 27th straight game in double figures for the Trojans.
USC now returns home to host Notre Dame and Nebraska next weekend at the Galen Center. The Trojans face the Fighting Irish at 5 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 24) and then square off against the Cornhuskers at 2 p.m. on Sunday (Nov. 26). No. 6 Ohio State 77, No. 19 USC 58
USC 24 - 34 -- 58
OSU 35 - 42 -- 77

 

[MolGenBuckeye]

We were at the game against USC today. Maria Moeller looked really good - she had a bunch of steals, and got her hand on the ball defensively all game long. The game really wasn't as close as the final score.

USC had a player go down hard in the last minute of the first half...pretty ugly, we could hear her cries of pain all the way from the other end of the arena, and she couldn't walk off under her own power. Looked like a knee injury, maybe. Best wishes to her from us, you hate to see that kind of thing. :(

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Davenport?s 26 points lead the Buckeyes
Monday, November 20, 2006
By RUSTY MILLER AP Sports Writer

Ohio State?s Brandie Hoskins (right) drives to the basket against Southern Cal?s Aarika Hughes during the first half Sunday. The Buckeyes won, 77-58, as Hoskins finished with 17 points.
​

COLUMBUS Southern Cal had a plan to stop Jessica Davenport. So the Buckeyes decided to share the load.
Davenport scored 26 points and Brandie Hoskins added 17 to lead No. 7 Ohio State past No. 19 Southern Cal, 77-58, on Sunday.
Davenport, a first-team All-America center and Big Ten Player of the Year the past two years, hit 9-of-14 shots from the field and all eight of her free throws. She also had six rebounds and four assists.
?With all the attention we gave Davenport, I still thought she had a good game,? USC Head Coach Mark Trakh said. ?And the other kids played well around her.?
Ohio State Head Coach Jim Foster said, ?There is a team that really went at Jess, put a lot of pressure on her and she has a one-turnover game. For the second game of the season against a long, athletic, good defensive team, I thought our execution was good.?
Hoskins ruptured her right Achilles tendon in the Buckeyes? NCAA tournament loss a year ago and went through lengthy rehabilitation. Along with her points, she had seven assists and five steals for Ohio State in its home debut.
?I feel really good,? she said. ?I?m just happy to be playing.?
Foster believes it will take a while for Hoskins to adapt to the pace of games, because she wasn?t able to play competitively for several months.
?She?s now played in her second game,? he said. ?She didn?t play all summer. Her adjustments and her play (were) terrific. She just needs to be out there.?
Star Allen added 12 points, and freshman point guard Maria Moeller had 10 points, four assists and six steals.
Chloe Kerr scored 20 points and had nine rebounds, and Shay Murphy added 19 points and 11 rebounds for USC.
The Buckeyes shot 64 percent from the field in the second half and 51 percent for the game.
?We did a great job in the second half,? Foster said. ?The first half we stood around a little bit too much and didn?t move the ball. But we guarded (on defense).?

SOUTHERN CAL (1-2) Hagiya 0-2 2-2 2, Dunham 3-6 0-0 6, Jelks 0-1 0-0 0, Murphy 7-20 1-2 19, Kerr 8-19 4-6 20, Berberet 0-0 0-0 0, Hughes 2-7 0-0 5, Parker 2-3 0-0 4, Medlock 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 23-62 7-10 58.
OHIO ST. (2-0) Hoskins 7-13 3-6 17, Moeller 2-4 4-4 10, Packer 2-7 1-1 6, Davenport 9-14 8-8 26, S.Allen 5-8 2-4 12, Little 0-0 0-0 0, Daniel 0-0 0-0 0, Jamen 0-0 0-0 0, Mason-Cox 0-0 0-0 0, Blanton 0-0 0-1 0, Riley 0-2 2-2 2, Walker 1-3 2-2 4. Totals 26-51 22-28 77. Halftime?Ohio State 35-24. 3-point goals?Southern Cal 5-15 (Murphy 4-9, Hughes 1-2, Hagiya 0-1, Jelks 0-1, Kerr 0-2), Ohio St. 3-12 (Moeller 2-4, Packer 1-5, Davenport 0-1, Hoskins 0-2). Fouled out?None. Rebounds?Southern Cal 31 (Murphy 11), Ohio St. 36 (S.Allen 7). Assists?Southern Cal 12 (Hagiya 6), Ohio St. 18 (Hoskins 7). Total fouls?Southern Cal 22-16. A?3,899.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL: NO. 7 OHIO STATE 77, NO. 19 SOUTHERN CAL 58

Well-rounded OSU runs rings on USC

Monday, November 20, 2006

Rusty Miller

Associated Press

Columbus- Southern Cal had a plan to stop Jessica Davenport. So the Buckeyes decided to share the load.
Davenport scored 26 points and Brandie Hoskins added 17 to lead No. 7 Ohio State past No. 19 Southern California, 77-58, on Sunday.
Davenport, a first-team All-American center and Big Ten player of the year the past two years, hit 9 of 14 shots from the field and all eight of her free throws. She also had six rebounds and four assists.
"With all the attention we gave Davenport, I still thought she had a good game," USC coach Mark Trakh said. "And the other kids played well around her."
Ohio State coach Jim Foster said, "There is a team that really went at Jess, put a lot of pressure on her and she has a one-turnover game. For the second game of the season against a long, athletic, good defensive team, I thought our execution was good."
Hoskins ruptured her right Achilles tendon in the Buckeyes' NCAA Tournament loss more than a year ago and went through lengthy rehabilitation. Besides her points, she had seven assists and five steals for Ohio State (2-0) in its home debut.
"I feel really good," she said. "I'm just happy to be playing."
Foster believes it will take a while for Hoskins to adapt to the pace of games because she wasn't able to play competitively for several months.
"She's now played in her second game," he said. "She didn't play all summer. Her adjustments and her play [were] terrific. She just needs to be out there."
Star Allen added 12 points and freshman point guard Maria Moeller had 10 points, four assists and six steals.
Chloe Kerr scored 20 points and had nine rebounds, and Shay Murphy added 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Women of Troy (1-2).
Southern Cal was coming off a 67-63 upset loss at South Dakota State on Friday night. In that game, it had 25 turnovers, shot 33 percent from the field and were called for 36 fouls.
Turnovers were also the Women of Troy's undoing against the Buckeyes. They fell behind, 35-24, at the half while turning the ball over 16 times, and had 22 for the game.
The Buckeyes shot 64 percent from the field in the second half and 51 percent for the game.
"We did a great job in the second half," Foster said. "The first half we stood around a little bit too much and didn't move the ball. But we guarded [on defense]."

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

OHIO STATE 77 USC 58
Hoskins shows she?s back
Senior guard has recovered from Achilles? surgery in spring

Monday, November 20, 2006

Jim Massie
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

NEAL C . LAURON DISPATCH Maria Moeller of Ohio State takes a charge on Morghan Medlock of Southern California.

NEAL C . LAURON DISPATCH Brandie Hoskins hustles after a loose ball in the win over USC. She had 17 points, seven assists, five steals and three rebounds.


The prognosis for a basketball player recovering from surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles? tendon is six to nine months.
Ohio State senior guard Brandie Hoskins heard the timetable after her surgery in April and immediately focused on the six. Nine simply wasn?t an option.
"Her goal was to be back in six," OSU coach Jim Foster said. "If you?re going to realize your goal, then you?ve got to do what you?re told."
The uncounted hours of rehabilitation showed yesterday in Value City Arena as Hoskins helped the seventhranked Buckeyes (2-0) to a 77-58 victory over No. 19 Southern California.
There were bumps in the game for Hoskins and OSU. The Buckeyes committed 19 turnovers, but USC (1-2) coughed up the ball 22 times and never really threatened to win.
In between the rough stretches, Hoskins demonstrated how far she has come since April with a line that read 17 points, seven assists, five steals and three rebounds.
"It was a lot of work," she said. "It was a lot mentally to get myself in the mind-set that I was coming back this year. Physically, it was like rehab every day. It was small steps. But they all added up. It was all worth it because I knew how bad I wanted to play basketball."
Senior center Jessica Davenport, who had 26 points, six rebounds and four blocks, knows how hard Hoskins worked.
"She was in the training room all the time, strengthening," Davenport said. "Or she was in the weight room, conditioning. She wanted to get back, so she worked hard at it. I?m surprised that she?s back so early, but I?m not complaining."
The steady play of Hoskins and Davenport allowed freshman guard Maria Moeller to really set the defensive tone for the Buckeyes. Moeller had five of her game-high six steals in the first half. She picked the pocket of Trojans point guard Jamie Hagiya four times.
"I think after a while it gets in your head," Moeller said. "Maybe they start thinking about you pressuring them and they want to get the ball out of their hands quicker, so they go at a faster speed."
The Buckeyes didn?t take full advantage of the disruption Moeller caused. They shot 41.4 percent from the field in the first half and reached the break with a 35-24 lead. They raised the accuracy to 63.6 percent in the second half largely because of Hoskins.
In a four-minute span, she scored off a steal, fed Moeller for a three-point basket, hit a jumper, assisted Davenport on a field goal and canned two free throws.
"Brandie over-penetrated a couple of times (in the first half)," Foster said. "Well, Brandie now has played in her second game. I thought her adjustment and her play was terrific. She just needs to be out there."
Hoskins is thrilled to be able to play.
"My goal this year is to be the best teammate I can be," she said. "And I also took it upon myself to be a leader for the freshmen. So playing hard, being consistent, taking what?s there and not forcing stuff are things I have to improve upon. That?s what I?m working on now."
Davenport collected the 800 th rebound of her career and her 300 th shot block. Star Allen added 12 points. Chloe Kerr led USC with 20 points. [email protected]

 

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

OHIO STATE WOMEN
Eagles ruffle OSU?s feathers
NCAA upset fresh in Buckeyes? minds
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Jim Massie
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Pressed to give a name to one of those things that go bump in the night, the Ohio State women?s basketball team would have to pull the covers up tight and whisper Boston College.
The Eagles have ended the NCAA Tournament dreams for the sixth-ranked Buckeyes in two of the past three seasons. The second-round 79-69 upset loss at Purdue in March was a particular nightmare for a topseeded Ohio State team that believed it was good enough to reach the Final Four.
Eight months later, the memory remains vivid and painful as the Buckeyes (2-0) prepare to play host to Boston College (3-0) tonight in Value City Arena.
Senior guard Brandie Hoskins, who suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon late in the second half of the game, didn?t mince words yesterday when recalling the loss.
"They outplayed us, they outhustled us, they scored more points," Hoskins said. "They just killed us. We came out flat, and they took advantage of every opportunity they had. That?s the worst we played last year."
During the regular season, the Buckeyes defeated the Eagles 66-61 in overtime. The closeness of that game apparently didn?t register with Ohio State players as they prepared for the rematch.
"We didn?t look like the same team," junior guard Marscilla Packer said. "You do everything in practice every day and then you come out in a game and don?t do it. Seeing it on film, it?s frustrating for us. We?re just making it a point that it doesn?t happen again."
In that game, the Eagles scored more points against the Buckeyes than any team all season. That fact still upsets coach Jim Foster.
"We didn?t guard," Foster said. "We scored enough points. We didn?t guard."
Packer remembers the team being a step slow, especially while chasing guard Kindyll Dorsey. She hit six three-pointers.
"Dorsey, she got off," Packer said. "I?m making it a point for pride, if I?m guarding her or Brandie is guarding her, to not let her get shots like that. She played an amazing game. We?re not going to let that happen again. We?re going to make sure we?re there on defense."
Foster doesn?t want his players looking back. He wants them to build on a 77-58 win Sunday over Southern California.
"It?s another game in preparation, trying to get better," he said. "It?s a one-day preparation after Southern Cal against a quality team that plays a tough schedule. That?s what this game is about. It?s not about anything else."
That rates as a perhaps for senior center Jessica Davenport.
"Yeah, I remember them," she said. "They had good point guard play that game. She just didn?t turn the ball over, and had a great game."
Davenport said that she hasn?t replayed the game in her mind.
"I just tried to forget it," she said. "I didn?t want to be miserable and dwell on it. I do have it in the back of my mind a little bit that this is a team that has beaten us."
Davenport knows what the Buckeyes have to do to reverse their fortunes.
"Just execute," she said. "That?s all we have to do. The last time we didn?t execute well. Coach prepared us well. We need to know how to be able to beat teams. We just have to go out and do it."
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Dispatch

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

 

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Allen 'stars' in No. 7 Ohio State's win

By RUSTY MILLER, AP Sports Writer 24 minutes ago

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Star Allen lived up to her first name with 16 points, including five in the second overtime, to lead No. 7 Ohio State to an 80-72 victory over Boston College on Tuesday night.

The Buckeyes (3-0) survived despite blowing a 17-point lead in the final 4:11 of regulation. Kindyll Dorsey hit three 3-pointers in a span of 30 seconds in the final minute to fuel the furious comeback by the Eagles (3-1).
In two of the past three years, higher-seeded Ohio State teams have lost to Boston College in the NCAA tournament.
In the second overtime, Allen opened the scoring with a basket inside and then later added a critical three-point play with 1:06 left ? after Ohio State's two-time All-American center, Jessica Davenport, had fouled out. Her three-point play put the Buckeyes ahead 77-72 and gave them some breathing room.
Brandie Hoskins led the Buckeyes with 20 points. Hoskins had torn her right Achilles tendon in the waning moments the last time the teams met in the second round of the NCAA tournament last March.
Kathrin Ress had 23 points and 10 rebounds for Boston College before fouling out, while Dorsey had 21 and Elisabeth Egnell had 16.
Davenport had 19 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out in the second overtime.
The Buckeyes led 55-38 after two free throws by freshman point guard Maria Moeller with 4:11 remaining.
The Eagles surged to get close and then Dorsey hit three 3-pointers in the final 41 seconds, the last coming at the 13-second mark to tie the game at 59-59.
After Hoskins hit two foul shots with 11.1 seconds left, the Eagles forced overtime when Laura Lokitis hit a 5-footer in traffic with 1.7 seconds left.
Ress then intercepted the Ohio State inbounds pass and got off a decent shot but it was wide of the mark.
Ohio State trailed throughout the overtime, but finally pulled even at 70 with 19.1 seconds left when Davenport hit a 10-foot baseline jumper. Boston College set up for a final shot but Sarah Marshall's fallaway jumper with 4 seconds left hit the side of the backboard.
The Buckeyes were unable to get off a shot after that.
Ress fouled out early in the first overtime. Her absence permitted the taller Buckeyes to feed the ball to Davenport inside.
Davenport's lob pass resulted in Allen's field goal at the outset of the second overtime and then Davenport was fouled off an Allen pass and hit two foul shots.
But then Davenport fouled out on Egnell's driving layup.
Allen's power move off a pass from Marscilla Packer with just over a minute left pushed the lead to five points and then Hoskins scored on a breakaway layup.