The Ohio State women’s basketball team took the fight out of the Fighting Illini last night at the Schottenstein Center, defeating Illinois 82-74 in the Buckeyes’ first home game after a three-game conference road trip.
OSU (14-3, 5-1) extended its winning streak to three games with the victory, remaining unbeaten at home. The Fighting Illini (11-5, 3-3) dropped their second straight in Big Ten play.
Senior forward Courtney Coleman, the nation’s leading field-goal shooter, was 7-for-7 from the floor, leading the Buckeyes with 18 points. Sophomore guard Caity Matter and freshman point guard Kim Wilburn contributed 16 and 15 points, respectively.
“I try to focus on scoring and getting back defensively,” Coleman said. “I think we’ve got our half-court game together.”
The Buckeyes shot 53 percent from the field and tallied five scorers in double figures for the first time this season.
“We had a lot of people getting shots that they are capable of making,” OSU coach Jim Foster said. “We’ve been struggling to score points, but I think we took care of that today.”
After a turnover-laden first half, the Buckeyes cleaned it up after halftime against Illinois, whose quick backcourt and tenacious defensive effort lead the conference with 14 steals per game. OSU had to adjust to a more up-tempo style to keep up with Illinois’ small yet athletic lineup.
“It was a different kind of game than we’ve played this year. We had a lot of energy,” Foster said.
Matter, who earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors last week, lived up to her reputation as the league’s top three-point shooter. Matter was 4-for-9 from behind the arc, where OSU shot 50 percent as a team in the first half.
“They pretty much chased me the whole game,” Matter said. “We got some good screens.”
D’wan Shackleford came off the bench with six points and 10 rebounds in only 20 minutes for the Buckeyes, whose larger presence under the basket gave them an edge on Illinois’ box and one defensive setup. The post matchup featured Illinois center Cindy Dallas, the Big Ten’s leading rebounder.
“I wanted to get in there and give them a lift on defense,” Shackleford said.
OSU took the first lead of the game, swapping baskets with Ilinois before breaking loose late in the first half. Freshman point guard Kim Wilburn drove down the lane for a lay-up, then came back with a steal and dish to Coleman for two to put the Buckeyes up 36-35 with under three minutes left.
The series ignited a scoring flurry for OSU in the paint, as contributions from Shackleford, Coleman and junior center LaToya Turner capped a 12-1 run to close out the half.
The Buckeyes finished the job in the second half from the charity stripe, shooting 77 percent.
from the line to maintain the lead. Illinois narrowed the gap to five with under a minute to play, but never came closer. The OSU defense held Illinois to a lukewarm 38 percent from the field in the second half, and the Buckeyes outrebounded the Illini 38-30.
Illinois guards Aminata Yanni and Angelina Williams led the Illini with 19 points each, tying for game-high honors.
“They played very well. They did the things they needed to do. I give them a lot of credit,” said Illinois coach Theresa Grentz.
Frigid temperatures outside didn’t keep the crowd away, as Buckeye fans set a season-high attendance record of 3,468. OSU, which has now won 11 out of its last 12 games, will take on Iowa next this Sunday at the Schottenstein Center.
