U Weekly. Serving The Ohio State University in Columbus Ohio

Lavender dominates, Bucks hoist another trophy

By Eric Burch

With two consecutive massive comebacks in the semifinals and finals of the Big Ten Tournament, the Ohio State Buckeyes women's basketball team finally proved that they are up to the challenge of toppling the best teams in the country in the NCAA tournament with their impressive 2010 Big Ten Tournament Championship.

Ohio State's quarterfinal matchup had them face off against ninth-seeded Illinois. Despite off nights from most players, the Bucks held the Illini away and came out with a 66-55 victory that was closer than the final score indicated.

Jantel Lavender scored 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Samantha Prahalis scored 13 points and dished eight assists and Brittany Johnson also scored 13 points and went 3-7 from three point range. Prahalis also set a record for most assists in a season by an Ohio State women's basketball player.

That win brought a semifinal matchup with the fourth-seeded Wisconsin Badgers. With one of the most difficult tests of the season thus far, the Bucks fought through late in the second half and pulled away late in the game to win 82-73.

After Wisconsin led by four at halftime and after a difficult battle throughout the first 15 minutes of the second half, the Badgers also led 72-71 at the under-four timeout. But Ohio State dominated the final four minutes and pulled away to win by nine.

The star of the contest was Wisconsin's Alyssa Karel, who scored a career best 31 points, going 10-15 from the field, 6-7 from the free throw line, and 5-5 from three point land. But Karel fell apart when the Badgers' needed her most, not scoring in the final six plus minutes of the contest.

Ohio State had its own star pairing on Saturday. Prahalis scored 29 points with six rebounds and four assists, including 11-11 from the free throw line. Lavender added 27 points and nine rebounds. Tayler Hill also contributed 14 points, six rebounds and three assists.

That took the Buckeyes to the championship final against the third-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes. And with the Bucks' playing in their most difficult game of the year since, well, the day before, Ohio State prevailed in the final seconds with a 66-64 victory.

The best player on the floor on Sunday was clear, as Lavender went 14-25 from the field and 7-7 from the charity stripe for 35 points and 10 rebounds. Hill also scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds.

After trailing by eight points at halftime, Iowa went on a mini run at the beginning of the second half to lead by as many as 16 points. But the Buckeyes showed incredible moxie, the likes of which we haven't seen from them for a month.

Lavender completely took over the game, dominating the post and scoring 23 of her 35 points in the second half. Trailing 64-62 with less than 90 seconds left, Lavender hit a layup to tie the game. And with the ball and the shot clock off, the ball got played to Lavender in the post, and she was fouled with 1.9 seconds left. Lavender coolly stepped up and hit both free throws to give Ohio State a two-point victory. For her efforts, Lavender earned her second straight Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player award.

In the NCAA Tournament, Ohio State has a fantastic opportunity in regards to where they could play. The Buckeyes are probably looking at a two or three seed in the NCAA Tournament, and could potentially play close to home in Cincinnati for the first two rounds. If the Bucks make it to the Sweet 16, Ohio State could be squaring off at the University of Dayton Arena, where they could have a large home crowd advantage.

Originally Published: March 10, 2010

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