Ohio State women’s basketball didn’t miss a step in the week since its last game. Even final exams couldn’t keep the Buckeyes from a second consecutive dominating win.
One week after the team’s 45-point win against Evansville, and in the midst of Finals Week on campus, OSU defeated the Lafayette Leopards, 81-41, at the Schottenstein Center.
The victory is OSU’s 28th consecutive win at home and advances the team to 6-2 overall for the season.
OSU senior guard Tayler Hill led the Buckeyes with 19 points and four 3-pointers and said that while offense has been a struggle this season, Sunday’s win showed improvement.
“We are getting better with ball movement,” Hill said. “In these particular (non-conference) games, we try to focus on the weakness of our team, so in the future we know what our weaknesses are.”
Coach Jim Foster said the Buckeyes were strong on both ends of the court to secure the win.
“We were sound defensively and we moved the ball very well offensively,” Foster said. “There was a bit of time in the first half where we could have been a little more patient and if we had waited a beat or two, something better would have risen. We picked up on that.”
Redshirt senior guard Amber Stokes combined with Hill to score 34 of the Buckeyes’ 81 points, and lauded the team’s growth.
“We have grown a lot. I see it in practice and on the court,” Stokes said. “We are staying focused and doing what we need to do to finish out our games.”
While Finals Week might have provided additional challenges and distractions for his players, Foster said his team was able to stay focused on the game for those 40 minutes.
“I love the fact we stayed together between the ears. That’s a coach’s biggest fear at exam time – the concentration being in other places,” Foster said. “I think one of the ways you can judge the maturity of your team is how they handle that situation. In my mind we did a very good job of that today.”
After wrapping up exams and practice this week, the team travels for the first time since its 57-54 loss to North Carolina back on November 28.
Stokes said the team is ready to take on Washington State and Gonzaga while on the road.
“We are really excited about traveling west and playing some more competitive teams,” Stokes said. “It will be a challenge but we are ready for it.”
The Buckeyes are scheduled to take on Washington State Saturday at 3 p.m.
