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Women's Basketball
Buckeyes Crank Up Defense in Second Half to Rout Eastern Kentucky
By John Porentas

The No. 4/4 Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0) overcame some first-game jitters to dominate in the second half and post an 85-38 win over outmatched Eastern Kentucky (0-2) in OSU's season opener at Value City Arena.

The Buckeye flexed their muscle early, opening the game with an 8-0 run, but EKU finally got on the board when Laura Shelton hit a jump shot to make the score 8-2.

The Lady Colonels turned that field goal into 9-1 run to cut OSU's lead to 10-9 with 14:17 remaining, then remained close through most of the first half, partly due to some cold shooting from long range by the Buckeyes who were 0-5 from three point range in the first half.

"I thought we quick-shot in the first half," said OSU Head Coach Jim Foster.

"You have to be patient and you have to reverse the ball. Moving the ball from one side of the floor to the other is what basketball teams are supposed to do, and we stopped half way in the first half. I think that's reflected from the three point line especially. We didn't make a three in the first half and we were three-for-four in the second half, and it was all about ball reversal," Foster said.

EKU trailed by just two at 22-20 with 6:40 remaining, but a half-ending spurt by the Buckeyes established a 37-27 Buckeye lead at the intermission.

"I was real nervous in the first half," said OSU guard/forward Brandy Hoskins.

"I was real excited, I was ready to play a game."

Baseline player Debbie Merrill, who saw her first action as a Buckeye after sitting out last season after transferring from Cincinnati, also had an early case of nerves.

"I was kind of nervous for the first couple of minutes," said Merrill.

The second half was a different story.

OSU cranked it up on the defensive end and simply suffocated the EKU offense. OSU held the Lady Colonels to a total of just 11 second-half points.

"We had a lot of guard pressure," said OSU center Jessica Davenport.

"When our guards get up in the open court and pressure, it makes the backline job a little easier, and the passes from the guards get a little longer (and easier to defend)," said Davenport.

Ohio State registered 12 steals and forced 23 EKU turnovers in the game. Nine of those steals and 15 of the turnovers came in the second half.

"Our defenive intensity picked up (in the second half)," said Hoskins. "Our guards picked up full court and the wings we just kind of got up on. It made it hard for them to get passes through."

"It starts with our point guards," said OSU Head Coach Jim Foster.

"I didn't think we pressured very well in the first half, and the second half we did. A lot of good things happen when you get good pressure on the ball and I thought in the second half (OSU point guards) Kim (Wilburn) and Ashley (Allen) did a terrific job, but the first half they were not as aggressive as they could have been.

Offensively, EKU had no answer for OSU's baseline trio of Brandy Hoskins, Jessica Davenport and Debbie Merrill, particularly in the second half.

Brandy Hoskins drives for two of her game-high 25 points.
Photo by Jim Davidson

Hoskins drove through the EKU defense to score a variety of ways, Davenport posted up on the blocks, and Merrill simply owned the glass and took advantage of both second-chance opportunities and solid second-half team play by the Buckeyes.

Hoskins ended the game with a team-high and game-high 25 points, while Davenport chipped in 24. Both Hoskins and Davenport registered double-doubles, Hoskins by adding 10 assists to her scoring (one more than the entire EKU team) and Davenport grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.

"Brandy Hoskins had a variety of baskets off the dribble that she found seams and cracks, and Jess Davenport shots came within the framework of our offense on the blocks," said Foster.

"Debbie Merrill's came from just instinctive, good reaction," Foster said.

"I think we're a team that generally takes what the other team gives us. I thought we did that in the second half. I thought in the first half we were 'taking' shots that 'they' thought were good shots."

OSU outscored EKU in the paint by a 56-14 margin and held a 35-5 edge in points off turnovers.

Merrill scored 11 points. Marscilla Packer also reached double figures with 10, six of those coming on a pair of three pointers late in the second half.

Box Score

Game Photos

Game Notes

* OSU forward Debbie Merrill saw her first action as a Buckeye and was impressive. Merrill was extremely strong on the glass and ended the game with a game-high four offensive rebounds. Merrill, who was the go-to player as a post player while playing at Cincinnati, says she loves being on the floor with OSU's Jessica Davenport.

"It's relaxing. I don't feel so pressured," said Merrill.

"There's not so much pressure on me like there was at Cincinnati. Here, I just go in, rebound, get some stickbacks, and defend. That's my job."

* Brandy Hoskins added ten assists to her 25 points against EKU, withe Debbie Merrill and Jessica Davenport being the beneficiary of most of those assists. Hoskins credited Davenport and Merrill for making that easy.

"Playing with Debbie and Jessica makes it easy to pass the ball," said Hoskins.

"Pretty much they're two of the best basketball players in the game. All you have to do is throw it up to them and they can catch it. When you see them you pass it to them because you know they're going to catch it."

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