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Women's Basketball
Buckeyes Harass Illini Into Submission to Advance in Big Ten Tournament
By Tony Gerdeman

Led by a defensive effort that came away with ten steals and forced 18 Illini turnovers, the #10 Ohio State Buckeyes (28-4, 15-3 Big Ten) defeated Illinois (15-14, 7-11 Big Ten) 66-55 in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.

Jantel Lavender scores two of her game-high 19 points.
Photo by Jim Davidson

Despite a rough shooting start by Ohio State, the Buckeyes were able to go into halftime with a 33-24 lead thanks to a defense that held Illinois to just 9-28 shooting from the field.

Buckeye Head Coach Jim Foster mentioned earlier in the week that the focus of his recent practices had been on defense, and that was apparent in the first few minutes of this game. Ohio State routinely switched from zone to man-to-man defense and that clearly had an effect.

“I thought the zone did some really good stuff for us”, Foster explained. “I don't think they were expecting us to play it. And it sort of disrupted their continuity. And when we went man, we were in great position, with great communication, and did the right things.”

When the Buckeyes opened the second half, they also decided to focus a bit more on getting the ball to center Jantel Lavender in a position to score. After shooting just 3-11 from the field in the first half, Lavender came out strong after the break, making three quick baskets in the first three minutes of the second half.

It was an easy fix according to Lavender.

“I think in the first half, we were rushing a little bit--as far as me in the post, and I think I wasn't getting as deep as I should have. And once we made the adjustment with me getting lower and getting deeper in the lane, I think that it turned around a little bit.”

Ohio State would then go on to build a 55-39 lead with 8:47 left in the game before the Illini would begin to mount an answer. Illinois went on a 12-2 run over the next three minutes to cut the Buckeye lead to six points with five minutes remaining in the game.

But as quickly as the Illinois run had started, it was over. The Buckeyes began playing defense again and there wasn‘t much the Illini could do about it. The quick hands of two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Shavelle Little took over as well, garnering two steals in the final five minutes of the game.

In fact, over the final 5:03 of the game, Illinois would score only four more points, and their final basket coming with just six seconds remaining.

Prahalis was quick to laud Little’s constant harassment.

Senior Buckeye guard Shavelle Little was so effective pressuring the basketball that Illinois Head Coach Jolette Law called her a one-woman press.
Photo by Jim Davidson

“I kind of figured if the girls were going to cross in front of her, she was going to get it. I'm real confident with her whenever we go man. Even in the zone, her pressure when she stays down and just stays in front, her pressure is really good.”

Illinois Head Coach Jolette Law would agree.

“She was a one-woman press. But I think knowing she's a great defender, I think in the back of our minds some of my guards started thinking about it too much.”

With the victory, the Buckeyes will next play the winner of Wisconsin and Purdue on Saturday night in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.

Game Notes

- The win against the Illini improves the Buckeyes’ record to 28-4 overall and 24-14 in Big Ten Tournament action.

- Ohio State is the No. 1 seed for a record sixth-consecutive season.

- Ohio State is 3-1 in Big Ten Tournament games against Illinois.

- Three Ohio State players scored in double-figures (Jantel Lavender-19, Samantha Prahalis-13, Brittany Johnson-13).

- With her eight assists in the game, sophomore Samantha Prahalis set an Ohio State single-season assist record with 259. The previous record was held by Jamie Lewis during the 2000-01 season.

- The Buckeyes shot 12-of-13 from the free throw line.

- Ohio State forced 18 Illinois turnovers and outscored Illinois 18-7, in points off turnovers.

Box Score

Photo Coverage

Updated Tournament Bracket

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