Women's Basketball
Buckeyes Whollop Crusaders, Advance in NCAA Tournament
By The-Ozone Staff
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – On this day not even Arthur, Galahad or even the “Knights who say nee” could have helped the Crusaders stop Jessica Davenport. Ohio State women’s basketball team went “medieval” on the Holy Cross, beating the Patriot League Champions 86-45 in the NCAA Tournament first round Sunday.
Sophomore center Jessica Davenport led all scorers with 23 points as she battered Holy Cross counterpart Lisa Andrews, outscoring her by 10 and pulling down 11 rebounds compared to Andrews’ four. Davenport also had four blocks in only her third NCAA Tournament game of her career.
“It was a pretty tough game, a physical game for the whole time I was in,” Davenport said.
Davenport’s 27-minute performance for the Buckeyes also drew praise from Holy Cross coach Bill Gibbons.
“She really plays like she’s 6-8 or 6-9 with those long arms,” he said.
The second seeded Buckeyes advance to play the seventh seeded Maryland Terrapins, Tuesday night; back on their home floor in College Park.
The Buckeyes (29-4) had two straight weeks to prepare for the tournament and it showed as OSU won its 18th game in 2005.
“I think we did a good job of being patient. Everybody is going to guard you in a different way,” OSU coach Jim Foster said. “The focal point is usually Jess and the people have to make a decision on how they are going to guard her and then we read and react.
The 15th seeded Crusaders (20-11) were led by senior center Andrews who had 13 points, going six-of-18 from the field, and four blocks. She was only Crusader player in double figures.
“On the shots that missed it was really me who stopped myself because I altered my shot in (Davenport’s) presence,” Andrews said.
Gibbons talked with moist eyes about his team and three departing seniors.
“The highest complement you can give to a coach is that they’re a true team. They play hard all the time, they play together, and they’re a true team, on and off the court,” the Worcester, Mass., native said. “And if you have to wonder if you’re a true team, you’re certainly not a true team. And this was a true team.
OSU got off to a comparatively slow start Saturday in front of 4,314 at the Comcast Center, going one for six in the first two minutes.
“I think there might have been a little bit of nerves for some people but some of the shots that we missed weren’t shots that we’d normally take,” Senior guard Caity Matter said. “Once we settled down and took the shots that we’re used to taking within our offensive system, then we were fine.”
Holy Cross, too, showed early signs of nerves, hoisting up two airballs in the first five minutes.
But the Buckeyes composed themselves and a 13-0 run during the first half ended the competitive phase of the game helping OSU to a halftime lead of 42-24.
“They were trying to mix it up a bit, playing a bit of man, little bit of box and one, but we just ran our sets,” Matter said.
Brandie Hoskins was active early, scoring 12 points and adding 3 assists in the first half. She would end the afternoon with 14 points, second most for the Buckeyes, and a team high eight assists.
Foster took time to praise the sophomore from Dayton individually.
“Brandie is an old-school player. That’s a new term but it applies to her because she is not in love with the three point field goal,” Foster said.
“If you eliminated the three point lines a lot of players playing today would not be players. They’re players for one reason. Brandie could have played in any generation.”
Matter added 12 points while going two-for-two from beyond the three point line.
Kim Wilburn and Candace Dark led OSU’s bench players with six points apiece.
The Buckeyes shot 53 percent as a team while Holy Cross could only hit on 29 percent.
“We picked a bad night to have one of our worst shooting nights of the year,” Gibbons said.
OSU Director of Athletics Andy Geiger was a passionate if slightly tired observer at Comcast Center after arriving in the Washington metro area early Sunday morning from Detroit where he had been supporting the men's hockey team at the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Championships.
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