Looking Back 2008-09: Women’s Basketball – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/5/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Ohio State won the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA tournament Sweet 16
What the Buckeyes Did in 2008-09
Ohio State won its record-tying fifth consecutive Big Ten regular season championship with a 15-3 conference mark, finishing two games ahead of Purdue, Michigan State and Iowa, all at 13-5. The Buckeyes recorded 29 wins which tied for the third-most in Division I.
Ohio State won the 2009 Big Ten Tournament championship, its second tournament title in four years.
Sophomore Jantel Lavender took home State Farm/Coaches and USBWA All-America honors and was named to the Associated Press All-America second team. Lavender also took home Big Ten Player of the Year honors for the second consecutive season and was named the Big Ten tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Samantha Prahalis was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year by the coaches and media. She was a second team selection by the media and honorable mention by the coaches. She also was named to the Berkeley Regional All-Tournament team.
Jim Foster was tabbed the Big Ten Coach of the Year by his peers and by a 22-member media panel. The selection is his fourth in the last five years.
Junior Shavelle Little became the second player in conference history to be named Defensive Player of the Year in consecutive seasons.
Senior Star Allen was named All-Big Ten third team by both the coaches and the media.
The Buckeyes made a school record-tying seventh consecutive and 18th overall appearance in the NCAA tournament. Ohio State also made the tournament seven years in a row from 1984-90.
No. 3 seed Ohio State made its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2005 before bowing out to No. 2 seed and Final Four-bound Stanford.
The No. 3 seed was the highest for Ohio State since its No. 1 seed in the 2006 tournament.
Head coach Jim Foster made his 10th trip to the NCAA Sweet 16 — eight at Vanderbilt and two at Ohio State. 2009 marked his 10th consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament and his 23rd overall.
The March 1 win over Penn State gave Ohio State its 800th program victory, becoming the eighth Division I program to reach the 800-win mark: Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion, Stephen F. Austin, James Madison, Texas and Tennessee Tech.
Jantel Lavender has scored in double-figures in all 66 career games, tying for the longest streak in Division I among active players according to STATS, Inc.
Current consecutive games of 10+ points:
| 1. Jantel Lavender, Ohio State | 66 |
| 2. Morgan Warburton, Utah | 66 |
| 3. Andrea Riley, Oklahoma State | 58 |
| 4. Sade Logan, Robert Morris | 57 |
| 5. Jenna Smith, Illinois | 39 |
Lavender’s 37 career double-doubles in 66 career games is the most among active Big Ten players through her sophomore season. Lavender had a Big Ten-best 24 this season. The Buckeyes are 31-6 overall when she gets a double-double.
Lavender was the only Division I player to rank in the Top 20 in scoring (11th, 20.8), rebounding (10th, 10.9) and field goal percentage (20th, .541).
Lavender set a Big Ten single-season record with 374 rebounds, breaking the old mark held by Janel McCarville who grabbed 368 for Minnesota during the 2003-04 season.
Lavender has scored 1,275 points in her first two seasons at Ohio State, breaking Katie Smith’s old record of 1,194 points in her first two seasons as a Buckeye in 1993 and 1994.
Ohio State has won 42 of its last 44 (.954) Big Ten regular-season games at home and 78 of its last 90 (.866) overall. The Buckeyes won the last six games of the 2003-04 season, went 14-2 in 2004-05, 15-1 in 2006 and 2007, went 13-5 during the expanded 18-game conference schedule last season and 15-3 in 2008-09.
The 10th-ranked Buckeyes have been ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 for 96-consecutive weeks.
The Buckeyes were 24-2 this season when they made more free throws than their opposition and are 42-2 over the last two seasons when accomplishing that feat.
The Buckeyes were 24-1 this season when they outrebound the opposition. Their only loss was at Auburn in overtime.
Head coach Jim Foster is 93-23 (.801) in Big Ten regular-season games at Ohio State and 181-47 (.793) overall.
Samantha Prahalis set an Ohio State freshman record with 203 assists, breaking the old mark of 168 previously held by Kim Wilburn during the 2002-03 season. Her 203 dimes are good for second on the all-time single-season list behind Jamie Lewis (257, 2000-01).
Prahalis led the Big Ten and ranked 15th nationally with 5.8 assists per game. She had a season-high 13 assists in the nine-point loss to then-No. 2 North Carolina Dec. 3. She had 19 games with six or more assists.
Ohio State has won 92 of its last 93 regular-season games against unranked opponents at home. The Buckeyes had their 86-consecutive game win streak against unranked teams at home snapped with its 59-56 loss to Minnesota Jan. 15, 2009. The last unranked team to win in Columbus before that was Penn State, Feb. 3, 2002.
Ohio State owns the seventh-best winning percentage (.836) and has the ninth-most wins (138) in all of women’s basketball over the last five seasons.
Ohio State has had a Big Ten Player of the Year recipient in each of the last five seasons; Jessica Davenport in 2005-07 and Jantel Lavender in 2008-09. The Buckeyes also have won the last two Big Ten freshman of the year (Lavender, Prahalis) and defensive player of the year (Little in 08 and 09) awards.
Lavender Named Big Ten Tourney MOP, Allen on All-Tourney Team
Jantel Lavender was named the 2009 Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player after averaging 22.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and shooting 64 percent from the field with three double-doubles in the three Big Ten tournament victories against Illinois, Iowa and Purdue. She set a single tournament record with 41 rebounds in the three wins. She had 17 rebounds in the semifinal win over the Hawkeyes, the second-most in Big Ten Tournament history.
Teammate Star Allen joined Lavender on the All-Tournament team after averaging 12.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and shooting 50 percent from the field. Allen had a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds in the semifinal win over Iowa.
Buckeyes Take Home Player, Coach, Defensive and Freshman of the Year Honors
Ohio State sophomore Jantel Lavender was named Big Ten Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Head coach Jim Foster was named Coach of the Year, point guard Samantha Prahalis was named Freshman of the Year and junior Shavelle Little was named Defensive Player of the Year for the second-consecutive year. Senior Star Allen was a third team All-Big Ten selection.
Lavender earned Big Ten Player of the Year distinction by the conference coaches and media this year, after earning selection by the coaches last season. She became the sixth player in Big Ten women’s basketball history to earn the award in back-to-back seasons, joining former Buckeyes Tracey Hall (1986-87) and Jessica Davenport (2005-06-07). The sophomore became just the second player in conference history to complete the statistical triple crown, leading the conference in points (20.0) and rebounds (9.9) per game, as well as shooting percentage (.549) during Big Ten play. Also this season, Lavender was named Big Ten Player of the Week five times, tying her for the conference’s single-season record. Her nine career selections tie her for third on the conference’s all-time list. Lavender also earned unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten first team by the coaches and media.
Prahalis was named Freshman of the Year by the coaches and media. She became the second consecutive Buckeye (Lavender) to earn the honor and is the eighth player in program history to receive the nod. The Commack, N.Y., native led the Big Ten in assists throughout the season and finished the regular season with a 5.76 assists-per-game average to rank 15th among all NCAA Division I players. Prahalis led all Big Ten freshmen in scoring, averaging 10.0 points per game. She was also named to the All-Big Ten second team by the media and earned honorable mention selection by the coaches.
Foster was tabbed as the conference Coach of the Year by his peers and by a 22-member media panel. The selection is his fourth in the last five years. Foster led Ohio State to its fifth consecutive Big Ten title, a feat previously accomplished only by the 1983-87 Buckeye squads.
Little is the second player in conference history to be named Defensive Player of the Year in consecutive seasons. Her award marks the Buckeyes’ third in the 10-year history of the honor. Little averaged 2.57 steals per game during the 2008-09 campaign and anchored a Buckeye defense that gave up less than 55 points per Big Ten game.
Another Buckeye recognized was senior Star Allen who was named to the third team by both the coaches and the media. Allen led the Big Ten in field goal percentage at .545 percent through the regular season, was ninth in rebounding (7.5) and 19th in scoring at 10.9 per game. She scored a career-high 25 points in her final home game March 1 and just missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Allen was a second-team selection in 2006-07.
Buckeyes Earn Fifth-Consecutive and 12th Overall Big Ten Title
Ohio State secured its fifth-consecutive and league-best 12th overall Big Ten title March 1 with a 74-63 win over Penn State. The Buckeyes became the first Big Ten team to win five titles in a row since Ohio State won five in a row from 1983-87. The Buckeyes shared two of those conference crowns with the Hawkeyes in 1987 and 1989.
Most Consecutive Big Ten Reg. Season Titles:
| Team | No. | Years |
| Ohio State | 5 | 2005-09 |
| Ohio State | 5 | 1983-87 |
| Iowa | 4 | 1987-90 |
Ohio State’s Big Ten Titles
2008-09
2007-08*
2006-07
2005-06
2004-05*
1992-93*
1988-89*
1986-87*
1985-86
1984-85
1983-84
1982-83*
* co-championship
Lavender Picks Up Record-Tying Fifth Big Ten POW Honor
After Ohio State won its fifth title outright March 1 and before the Big Ten awards were announced the following day, Lavender collected her fifth Player of the Week award this season. She dropped 21 points on 8-of-13 (.615) shooting, while grabbing 13 boards and adding an assist and a block as OSU beat Wisconsin Feb. 26 to clinch at least a share of the title. Then against Penn State March 1, the 6-4 center scored 28 points while shooting 58 percent (11-of-19) from the field, recording 12 boards, a pair of assists and a steal in the 74-63 OSU win that gave the Buckeyes the outright conference crown. For the week, Lavender averaged 24.5 points while shooting 59.4 percent from the floor with 12.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Her five weekly awards tie the Big Ten’s single-season record and give her nine in her career, tying her for third on the Big Ten’s all-time list.
Allen Earns Big Ten Player of the Week Honors
Senior forward Star Allen earned Big Ten player of the week honors Feb. 24 in recognition of her performance in road wins at Minnesota and Indiana. The honor is the second of her career and the first since 2007. Allen averaged 18.0 ppg, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and shot 62.5 percent from the field in the two victories. Against the Golden Gophers, the senior tallied 14 points while shooting 67 percent (6-of-9) from the floor. She also grabbed nine rebounds and added two assists, a blocked shot and a steal in 34 minutes of play. Then at Indiana, Allen matched her career high with 22 points, including 14 in the second half. She also grabbed seven boards and recorded two assists, two steals and a block. The pair of wins helped the Buckeyes grab sole possession of first place in the Big Ten standings.
Prahalis Named Finalist For Nancy Lieberman Award
Freshman phenom Samantha Prahalis, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, was one of 13 finalists for the 10th Annual Nancy Lieberman Award which recognizes the nation’s top collegiate point guard in Division I women’s basketball. Prahalis is one of the most gifted and talented point guards to come through the Big Ten in recent years. The award is a national project of the Rotary Club of Detroit honoring the nation’s top collegiate point guard in women’s Division I basketball. The criteria for the award are the floor leadership, play-making and ball-handling skills that personified Hall of Famer, Nancy Lieberman, during her career. Sportswriters from across the country have determined this final nominee list. Maryland’s Kristi Toliver won the award in April.
Buckeyes Notch Seventh- Consecutive 20-Win Season
The Feb. 15 win over Northwestern gave Ohio State its seventh-consecutive 20-win season. It also marked the 23rd of Coach Jim Foster’s career, his 10th-consecutive overall and his seventh in Columbus — the most of any coach at Ohio State. In 2007-08 Foster tied former OSU coach Nancy Darsch, who had six 20-win seasons in 12 years as head coach from 1985-97. Foster has done it each year at Ohio State since his first season in 2002-03, including a 30-win season in 2004-05.
OSU Tough at Home Under Foster
Since the start of the 2004-05 season, Ohio State has amassed a remarkable 81-5 record at home and a 71-4 record at Value City Arena (9-1 at St. John Arena, 1-0 at Nationwide Arena). The Buckeyes have posted two perfect home records under head coach Jim Foster, going 14-0 in his first year in 2002-03 and 17-0 in 2004-05.
Buckeyes at home in the Foster Era:
| 2002-03 | 14-0 |
| 2003-04 | 13-4 |
| 2004-05 | 17-0 |
| 2005-06 | 16-1 |
| 2006-07 | 16-1 |
| 2007-08 | 16-1 |
| 2008-09 | 16-2 |
| Total | 108-9 |
Lavender Tops 1,000 Points In Just 53 Games
With her fourth field goal against Purdue Feb. 5, sophomore Jantel Lavender scored the 1,000th point of her career, becoming the second-fastest player in the history of Ohio State women’s basketball (53 games) to reach the milestone. Katie Smith (1993-96) was the fastest to do it in 52 games. Lavender was the 27th Ohio State player overall to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
Ohio State players quickest to 1,000 points:
| Katie Smith | 1993-94 seasons (52 games) |
| Jantel Lavender | 2008-09 seasons (53 games) |
| Frani Washington | 1978-79 seasons (56 games) |
| Jessica Davenport | 2004-05 seasons (63 games) |
Making a Living at the Stripe
Ohio State spent a lot of time this season at the free throw line and made more than opponents attempted. Ohio State was 493-of-672 (.734) while opponents were 339-of-476 (.712). Sixteen times this season Ohio State has made more free throws than opponents have attempted.
The Buckeyes were 24-2 this season when they make more free throws than their opponents and were 18-0 last season when accomplishing that feat … a combined 42-2 over the last two seasons. They were 2-4 this year when they made fewer from the line. The only two times Ohio State made more at the line and lost was Jan. 15 against Minnesota when Ohio State was 20-of-22 at the line to Minnesota’s 4-of-6. However, Ohio State was outrebounded in that game, 34-21. The other game was the NCAA Regional loss to No. 2 Stanford.
Fast Starts
The Buckeyes were 23-0 this season when leading at the half and 2-0 when tied (Dayton, at Indiana). The Buckeyes’ biggest halftime deficit in a win was 10 points at Nebraska before rallying for a 69-65 win Dec. 6. The Buckeyes also won at Michigan Jan. 29 after trailing at the half. Ohio State trailed by only four points at the half in losses to current Top 10 teams UNC and Auburn.
Taking the Show on the Road
Unlike last season when Ohio State featured one of its younger teams in recent years, the Buckeyes found life on the road much more enjoyable this season. After going 6-6 overall and 4-5 in Big Ten road games in 2007-08, the Buckeyes were 11-4 away from home this season and went 7-2 in conference road games.
Lavender Unstoppable at Iowa
Jantel Lavender scored Ohio State’s first 13 points in the loss at Iowa Feb. 12 and went on to score a season-high 32 while tying career bests with 15 field goals and four blocked shots. She recorded another double-double with a team-high 10 rebounds and added three assists in 38 minutes.
Ohio State Retires Tracey Hall’s No. 44 Jersey
Former Buckeye and two-time All-American Tracey (Hall) Yarbrough had her No. 44 jersey retired at halftime against Northwestern Feb. 15. She became just the second women’s basketball player at Ohio State to have her number retired after Katie Smith’s No. 30 was retired in January 2001. Hall played for the Buckeyes from 1985-88, earning first team All-America honors in her last two seasons in becoming the Big Ten’s first two-time Kodak All-American. Hall was the Big Ten freshman of the year and a second team All-Big Ten performer in 1985. She went on to claim the conference’s top honor in 1986 and ’87, while being selected first team All-Big Ten in 1986, ’87 and ’88.
Lavender Earns Fourth Big Ten POW Honor
Jantel Lavender took home her fourth Player of the Week award of the season Jan. 27 after guiding Ohio State to a pair of wins to move up to first in the Big Ten. The sophomore opened the week with a season-high 30-point performance Jan. 22 to lead the Buckeyes as they toppled Illinois, 68-51. Lavender tied her career-high with 15 field goals, shooting 62.5 percent from the floor, also grabbing 12 rebounds to record her 14th double-double of the year. On the road against Purdue Jan. 25, the Cleveland, Ohio, native scored 15 of her 21 points in a closely contested second half to give Ohio State the 71-60 victory. She shot 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from the field and had seven rebounds and two blocks in the win. On the week, Lavender averaged 25.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. The weekly honor is the eighth of her career, which ties her for fourth all-time in the conference and sets a new Big Ten record for awards won by a player in her freshman and sophomore seasons.
Buckeyes Conclude Challenging Non-Conference Slate
Ohio State did not face a team in the non-conference portion of the season that recorded fewer than 18 wins the season prior, giving the Buckeyes a schedule strength that consistently ranked in the Top 20.
Nearly Perfect
In the win over Delaware State Dec. 16, Jantel Lavender was 12-of-13 from the field for a 92.3 percent clip. It tied for the second-highest FG percentage by a Buckeye since Tracey Hall shot an identical 92.3 percent (12-of-13) Nov. 29, 1984 in a win over Cincinnati. Jessica Davenport holds the Ohio State record for FG percentage (minimum 10 attempts) in a game when she shot 10-for-10 in a 73-67 win over West Virginia in the 2004 NCAA Tournament.
