Tonight, Samantha Prahalis will face the foe that started it all.

The sophomore point guard made the game-clinching shot against Michigan on Jan. 3, jump-starting a career-best scoring spree.

When the season was set to begin, no one could have predicted Prahalis’ success, but she came out firing in the pre-season WNIT, averaging 14.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game.

Her stat line was consistent throughout the season until Ohio State played Michigan State on Jan. 9, the contest following her game-clinching shot.

Against the Spartans, Prahalis scored 32 points and her hot streak has continued in the two games since.

She is averaging 26.3 points per game over the three-game span. Before her breakout game against MSU, Prahalis averaged only 14.1 points per game.

“[Prahilis] is smarter,” coach Jim Foster said of her recent spark. “She’s realizing when the opportunity to get to the basket is there and, when the defense is rotating, who’s available.”

The past two weeks have ended with Prahalis being named the Big Ten Player of the Week, giving her three of the awards on the season.

“Sammy is great. I don’t know what other teams are going to do to defend her,” forward Sarah Schulze said. “I’m just glad I don’t have to guard her. She can make any shot or any pass.”

The last time OSU and Michigan met, it was a low scoring affair in the Buckeyes’ 59-56 win.

Prahalis’ recent output makes up nearly half of the total OSU managed in that victory.

One key matchup to watch that could dictate Prahalis’ output is center Jantel Lavender against center Krista Phillips. Phillips had four blocks last time and is looking to put a cramp on OSU’s inside game again.

“That’s a big presence in the post and I’m 6 feet, 3 inches, so she has an advantage over me,” Lavender said.

Another key factor to tonight’s game is the addition of Schulze to the Buckeyes’ lineup. She missed the Michigan game on Jan. 3 with a knee injury.

“[Schulze] stretches the defense,” Foster said. “If you have a really good post player and then you have a post player who can trail the play and shoot the three, the floor gets very big. I think it’s probably the hardest thing to defend in basketball.”

Schulze shoots 46 percent from behind the arc and OSU is hoping to showcase their outside game tonight, Prahalis included, with Phillips guarding the basket below.