Women's Basketball
Buckeye Season Success by Any Measure
By John PorentasOhio State's season came to an end with it's Sweet 16 loss to Rutgers over the weekend, and though the disappointment of that loss is still fresh, this season can only be described as successful for the Buckeyes.
Jim Foster has been building a national power step-by-step in Columbus, and this season his team took another step forward, posting a 30-5 record this season and winning two games in the NCAA tournament.
Photo by Jim DavidsonA thirty-win season set a school record for wins. Along the way, OSU scored victories over ranked teams such as Arizona, Oregon, UCLA, Purdue, Michigan State, Iowa, Rutgers and Minnesota. Four of their five losses this season came at the hands of teams that were ranked at the time; Notre Dame, Rutgers, Michigan State and Minnesota. All of those losses were either on the road or in tournaments. Their other loss came on the road to NCAA qualifier Penn State. The on-court success led to national respect. OSU was ranked as-high as second in the polls and got a two-seed in the NCAA tournament. They shared the Big Ten regular-season championship with Final Four qualifier Michigan State, having split their two games with the Spartans this season. The Buckeyes were undefeated at home in the 2004-2005 campaign.
Individually, sophomore center Jessica Davenport emerged as a premier player not only in the Big Ten, but nationally, earning first team All-American honors and being tabbed as the Big Ten player of the year. Sophomores Brandy Hoskins (guard) and Stephanie Blanton (forward) also showed they will be players to be reckoned with in the seasons to come.
The Buckeyes lose just two players to graduation off their roster this year. Caity Matter (guard) and Beth Howe (guard) have used up their edibility and will be moving on. Both will be missed, particularly Matter who was OSU's three-point shooting threat and a starter, but Foster seems to have the talent pipeline full headed into next season.
The 2005-2006 season will see the return of Davenport, Hoskins, and Blanton, all of whom were starters in the NCAA tournament. Point guard Ashley Allen will also return, giving OSU four returners from the tournament starting lineup. It doesn't end there.
Forward Michelle Munoz was a starter most the season but did not participate NCAA tournament due to injury will return for her senior season. With the return of Munoz, the Buckeyes will return five players with significant starting experience in the 2004-2005 season. Also returning will be key reserves Tia Battle, Marscilla Packer, Alice Jamen and Tamarah Riley, all of whom saw significant playing time this season, as well as Candace Dark.
In addition to the returners, OSU will have the services of 6-1 center Debbie Merril. Merril sat out the 2004-2005 season after transferring to OSU from Cincinnati. Merril was a 2003 Honorable Mention All-American, a two-time All-Conference USA player and C-USA's 2002 Freshman of the Year at Cincinnati. She averaged 16.0 points-per-game in three seasons with the Bearcats and has one year of eligibility remaining with the Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes were successful not only on the court, but also at the box office this season. Attendance at OSU women's basketball enjoyed an 82% increase during the Big Ten season. The Buckeyes averaged 3,991 attendees for Big Ten games in 2003 - 2004, but that number swelled 7,259 in 2004-2005. For the regular-season finale at home against Penn State, a game which clinched a share of the Big Ten regular-season title, 17,525 were on hand at the Value City Arena. The Buckeyes also played in front of 14,066 on the road at East Lansing.
(c) 2004 The O-Zone, O-Zone
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