The No. 23 Ohio State women’s basketball team will look to improve on that ranking when they battle the Michigan State Spartans tonight at the Schottenstein Center.
The Buckeyes (10-2, 1-0) are coming off an upset victory over the Texas Longhorns on Sunday. They are undefeated at home this season at 7-0.
Ashley Allen had one of her best scoring games of the season with 17 points.
“I missed my first three shots and Coach told me I need to be more aggressive. After that I just played,” Allen said.
Allen believes it was more mental than anything in finding her shooting stroke. She leads the Big Ten in three-point shooting with a percentage of .475. But she is not satisfied and says improvements can be made.
“I need to get better at boxing out so I can become a better rebounder,” Allen said.
The Spartans (7-5,1-1) will be entering this game after an upset victory of their own with a win over annual powerhouse Purdue.
They are led by freshman Lindsay Bowen, who is already starting to enter the freshman record books at MSU.
She sealed the Spartan upset of Purdue with a game clinching three pointer late in the game, and has yet to miss a free throw as a Spartan this year.
The Spartans have been hit by the injury bug which the OSU program has been so familiar with in the last few years.
Starting the season with 12 players, they are now down to only 9. This has forced them to not only play many of their starters for many minutes, but also even turn to their field hockey team to borrow players.
The Buckeyes have avoided the numerous injuries so far, which may be a contributing factor to their strong play and ranking. They have not been ranked since January 1999.
However, this does not impress OSU women’s basketball coach Jim Foster.
“It’s something we do not even talk about,”Foster said. “It just gives you guys something to write about.”
Foster did not see the Spartan upset of Purdue but knows they will present a tough challenge.
“They are a good solid basketball team who play a tough match-up (zone) that is a little different than others,” Foster said.
Foster said he believes at this point in the season, the Buckeyes should be familiar with anything an opponent can throw at them.
“It all depends on how you respond when you see a lot of it that will determine your success,” Foster said.
He also has been happy with the bench contribution the Buckeyes have received this year, especially from D’wan Shackleford and Didi Reynolds.
“I feel like we have seven starters, and when you have that much experience coming into the game, it doesn’t weaken yourself, and that experience is invaluable,” Foster said.
If the last meeting is any indication, the game should be a good one tonight. The Buckeyes defeated the Spartans in double overtime in the Big Ten Tournament 89-82.
