Women's Basketball
Lavender, Prahalis, Combine to Power Buckeye win Over Spartans
By John PorentasOSU center Jantel Lavender and point guard Samantha Prahalis combined to score 52 of their team's 65 points to allow No. 6 Ohio State to take a 65-62 road win over No. 19 Michigan State in front of 12,412 disappointed fans at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
Samantha Prahalis drives for two of her game-high and career-high 32 points.
Photo by Jim DavidsonLavender registered a double-double with 20 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, but it was the diminutive Prahalis who undid the Spartans. Prahalis scored a career-high 32 points while dishing out five assists. Her six rebounds were second-high for the Buckeyes and two more that 6-9 MSU center Allyssa DeHaan.
The Spartans started the game like they would blow out the Buckeyes, taking a 12-2 lead in the early going, but behind the scoring of Prahalis OSU clawed back to within four at 35-31 at the half.
"I found out that on our pick and rolls they were playing our shooters and Allyssa DeHaan was playing Jantel, so I just saw an opening," said Prahalis.
"If I saw an opening I just went to the basket. The game came to me like that," Prahalis said.
The Spartans succeeded in taking away OSU shooters Sarah Schulze and Brittany Johnson. Johnson is hitting over 50 percent from three for the season, Schulze over 40, but stopping them from long range had a price. Prahalis was able to get to the hoop again and again for layups. When the Spartans tried playing off Prahalis to prevent her from penetrating with the dribble she burned them with her shot by knocking down four of 10 three point attempts.
The game remained close until the final moments but Prahalis and Lavender were too much for the Spartans down the stretch. Each hit key free throws at crunch time to help their team seal the win.
"It's just mental toughness, being tough for your team, knowing these free throws could be the difference-maker in the game," said Lavender of the ability to make free throws as the game winds down.
Lavender did not have a particularly good night shooting from the field at just five of 15, but was a perfect 10 of 10 from the free throw line.
"We have two great players. They're not afraid to take the shot that counts and the shot to win," said OSU Head Coach Jim Foster.
"I think we have a nice combination with those two on the floor and others have to match up with that."
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