With a much bigger frontcourt and a deeper bench than the competition, the Ohio State women’s basketball team looked to have an easy match-up with Wayne State in the Buckeyes’ home opener last night.
While OSU (2-0) walked away from the Schottenstein Center with a 100-57 win over the visiting Warriors, the Buckeyes got all they could handle for the first fifteen minutes of the contest.
“I think we were just a little tentative early in the game,” said OSU women’s basketball coach Jim Foster. “This time of year, it’s the first time for seeing things and we probably weren’t as aggressive as we can be.”
OSU started the game on a 6-0 run as guard Ashley Allen hit a three-pointer. Center LaToya Turner followed with a bucket and free throw.
Wayne State began to heat up. The Buckeyes tried to work the ball inside, but the Warriors concentrated most of their offense beyond the three-point arc.
Fifteen of Wayne State’s first 17 points came on 5-of-7 three-point shooting and the Warriors took a 17-10 advantage.
“We weren’t really surprised at their three-point shooting,” Turner said. “Coach told us that we needed to watch the threes.”
The Warrior lead grew as large as five before OSU began to chip away.
While it struggled early in the contest, the Buckeye post play finally began to use its height advantage. The 6-foot 3-inch Turner scored four point of her 23 points and forward D’wan Shackleford added a layup of her own as OSU pulled to within one.
OSU finally took back a 28-27 lead on Turner’s inside jumper.
But the Warriors wouldn’t quit.
The two teams traded baskets and a trey by Wayne State’s Kristen Rogers tied the score at 30-all with just under six minutes remaining in the half.
That’s when things turned sour for the Warriors.
For the final five minutes of the opening half, the Buckeyes went on a 17-0 run to take a 47-30 halftime lead.
“We are a team capable of runs,” Foster said. “We began to settle into a rhythm and got aggressive.”
Much of OSU’s success during that scoring run came from its frontcourt. Shackleford scored six more points during the run. Forward Courtney Coleman scored a game-high 29 points, many coming during OSU’s 19-point scoring purge.
“I think our size played a big part,” Coleman said. “I felt pretty good out there and was just going with the flow.”
The second half belonged entirely to the Buckeyes as the lead continued to grow. A 20-6 run midway through the latter half extended their lead to 75-47. Beth Howe’s layup in the final minute put OSU at the century mark.
