Women’s Basketball Hosts #12 Purdue – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/11/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 11, 2000
The Tip
%^$The Ohio State Buckeyes, 8-5 overall, are looking to claim their second Big Ten victory, hosting the defending national champions of Purdue University Thursday, Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m. in Value City Arena. The Buckeyes avoided their first-ever 0-3 start in conference play, registering a 59-50 win at Minnesota Jan. 6. Purdue is 9-4 on the year and also 1-2 in the league after suffering its second straight loss, 74-67, at Michigan Saturday. %^$
%^$Home Sweet Home
%^$The Buckeyes have been absent from their home stage for nearly two weeks. In the last home appearance Dec. 30, Ohio State hosted its Big Ten opener vs. then-No. 17 Illinois but lost the contest in a thrilling overtime session 63-57. %^$
%^$The Series
%^$Ohio State leads the all-time series between the schools, 25-13, however, the Boilermakers have won the last six meetings and enjoyed a 13-7 advantage in the ’90s. The Buckeyes are 12-6 against Purdue on their home floor and 11-6 in West Lafayette. Purdue’s 72-59 victory in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals last year was its first against Ohio State on a neutral court, where the Buckeyes enjoy a 2-1 edge. The last Buckeye victory in the series was a 77-70 win at home on New Year’s Eve, 1995.%^$
%^$Head Coach Beth Burns
%^$Marking her 11th career season, the third at Ohio State, Coach Beth Burns continues to guide the program to success both on and off the court. Last season, Burns guided the Scarlet & Gray contingent to a 17-12 campaign and to its first NCAA tournament in three years. In addition, a 9-7, fourth-place finish in the league marked Ohio State’s best effort since its 1993 Big Ten Championship run. Academically, six returnees earned OSU Scholar-Athletes laurels with two tabbing academic all-Big Ten honors. Burns took over the program in April 1997, leaving a successful, well-respected career at San Diego State where she was three times selected the WAC Coach of the Year (1994, ’95, ’97). She has earned a record of 40-29 (.580) as a Buckeye and is 191-111 (.632) for her career. Burns is 17-18 (.486) in her third season of Big Ten competition and will be working toward her first win vs. Purdue (0-4). %^$
%^$On Ohio State
%^$Led by freshman center LaToya Turner’s 16 points and freshman forward DiDi Reynolds’ 12 points off the bench, the Ohio State women’s basketball team posted its first Big Ten victory of the season Jan. 6, defeating the Minnesota Golden Gophers 59-50. %^$
%^$In the first half, the two teams engaged in a defensive struggle, combining for 37 total points. The Buckeyes shot just 6-of-29 in the half and went into halftime down 21-16. OSU’s point total was a season-low. %^$
%^$In second half play, the Golden Gophers went on a 5-0 run to stretch its lead to 10 points with 14 minutes remaining in the game. But the Ohio State offense awakened and immediately rallied, with 17 unanswered points to take a 37-28 lead with just over seven minutes left in the game. With less than two minutes remaining, Minnesota cut the OSU lead to 50-45, but the Buckeyes maintained control of the game at the free-throw line. Sophomore guard Lauren Shenk hit a pair from the line and senior forward Michaela Moua hit four consecutive to seal the OSU victory. With the win, Ohio State avoided its first-ever 0-3 start in the Big Ten. %^$
%^$Burns on Minnesota
%^$”The biggest thing we will take away from tonight is how we shot free throws down the stretch. Mixu (Michaela) Moua, Lauren Shenk and LaToya Turner showed a lot of maturity by knocking those down.%^$
%^$”I would give a game ball to D’wan Shackleford and DiDi Reynolds. The two of them gave us a spark coming off the bench. DiDi played quality minutes and hit some big baskets. D’wan came in and had this ‘I’m not going to lose attitude’ that we really needed. She changed the tempo of the game with her play.%^$
%^$”Our shooting is just a psychological thing that we have to get through. We’ve shot the ball as much as we can possibly in practice. Hopefully they’ll start to fall in due time.”%^$
%^$Purdue Head Coach Kristy Curry
%^$Boilermaker head coach Kristy Curry is in her first year at the helm and as a collegiate head coach. Curry became the seventh mentor in Purdue women’s basketball history April 2 following the departure of Carolyn Peck, head coach of the WNBA Orlando Magic. Prior to acquiring the Purdue post, Curry served an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech for three years. She also enjoyed stops as an assistant at Texas A&M, Tulane and Stephen F. Austin. %^$
%^$On Purdue
%^$Purdue is guided by junior forward Katie Douglas, 6-1, who is considered by both the Big Ten coaches and media as a preseason first team all-Big Ten pick. Douglas (21.2 ppg/6.0 rpg) is one of three starters back which includes 6-4 junior center Camille Cooper. Cooper is a solid scorer inside (14.2 ppg) and Purdue’s leading rebounder (7.5 rpg) and shot blocker (1.2 bpg). Sophomore guard Kelly Komara, 5-7, tutored under the leadership of All-America guard Ukari Figgs last year. As a starter this season she ranks third in scoring (10.3 ppg).%^$
%^$No Shying Away
%^$Ohio State is playing its fourth ranked opponent this season in the Purdue Boilermakers, currently ranked No. 12 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/Coaches Top 25. The youthful Buckeyes are still looking for their first win in the effort.%^$
%^$
Team Rank Result%^$Rutgers (12-1) No. 7 L, 46-35%^$Georgia (12-19) No. 5 L, 91-59%^$Illinois (12-30) No. 17 L, 63-57, ot%^$
%^$Last Year With Purdue
%^$Ohio State and Purdue met three times last season with the Boilermakers sweeping the 1999 series. In the January meeting in Columbus, No. 2 Purdue downed the 19th-ranked Buckeyes 64-56. The following month in West Lafayette, Purdue recorded its 21st consecutive victory of the year with an 88-58 win. The two squads met again in a semifinal round of the Big Ten Tournament. Purdue, the regular-season conference champion and recently crowned No. 1 team in the country, prevailed 72-59.%^$
%^$Ties That Bind
%^$Ohio State assistant coach Seth Kushkin will find himself in an ironic position when he takes the coaching sideline Thursday night vs. Purdue. Just a year ago, he coached on the other side of the official scorer’s table as an assistant on a Purdue staff that guided the squad to a 34-1 overall record and the 1999 national title. %^$
%^$And Then There Were Two
%^$Ohio State and Purdue are the only two programs in the Big Ten Conference that have enjoyed an undefeated season in league play. Ohio State first achieved “the perfect season” in 1985, going 18-0 under the leadership of Coach Burns’ lifelong mentor, Tara VanDerveer. The performance was matched 14 years later when Purdue posted a 16-0 mark under then Coach Carolyn Peck last season.%^$
%^$McClure Marks Start
%^$Freshman guard Tanya McClure made her first career start for Ohio State at Minnesota, becoming one of three freshmen to appear in the starting lineup this season. McClure finished the %^$game with three points, two assists and three steals over 23 minutes of play.%^$
%^$Reynolds Emerges
%^$Freshman forward DiDi Reynolds played a career-high 19 minutes at Minnesota and had a huge role in staging the Ohio State comeback. Reynolds finished the game with a career-best 12 points. She was 4-of-7 from the field, including 3-of-4 behind the three-point line. Reynolds also chipped in with three rebounds and two assists. %^$
%^$Moua Looks To Get Back On Track
%^$From the onset of the season senior captain Michaela Moua has taken on the role of iron woman for the Buckeyes. Moua, only one of two players to start every game, is averaging 33 minutes a game in Big Ten competition. The Vantaa, Finland, native, who ranks 20th in overall scoring (11.8 ppg), will look to get back on track against Purdue, averaging just 4.0 points in the last two games.%^$
%^$United Again
%^$In Thursday’s matchup Ohio State sophomore guard Lauren Shenk and Purdue sophomore guard Kelly Komara will compete once again as opponents after spending a part of the summer as teammates on the Big Ten All-Star Team which toured Germany and Belgium. Shenk paced the squad, averaging 11.0 points per game. The All-Star unit posted a 3-1 record in exhibition play. %^$
%^$Non-Conference Wrap-Up
%^$Ohio State matched its non-conference record of a year ago, recording a 7-3 effort. Of the Buckeyes’ seven victories, six were claimed by 30 points or more and by holding each of those opponents to no more than 50 points. The Buckeyes forced 5-of-10 teams to eclipse the 30-turnover plateau. %^$
%^$In an even more impressive run on the homefront in December, the Buckeyes went 4-1 in a five-game home stretch, while its scoring defense held opponents to a stifling 49.6 ppg., and forced an average 25.8 turnovers.%^$
%^$In the last game on the non-league schedule, Ohio State held the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks to a .204 (31-of-64) shooting percentage in the contest, just .004 percentage points shy of an OSU opponent record low. In 1981, OSU held Western Michigan to just .200 off 15-of-75 shooting. %^$
%^$Let ‘Em Play
%^$Showcasing five freshmen in the 1999-2000 season apparently is no problem for head coach Beth Burns who has played each member of the Class of 2003 frequently and without hesitation. Three of the five newcomers have started at least once this season and played in every game with the unit playing in nearly a third of the overall minutes clocked. Center LaToya Turner and guard Tanya McClure lead the pack, averaging 21.1 and 15.8 minutes, respectively, in overall games.%^$
%^$Lewis Continues The Climb
%^$Despite undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery July 6, junior guard Jamie Lewis has continued her assault on the Ohio State career assists record book climbing from 13th place at the onset of the season to a share of the fifth all-time slot with 317. %^$
%^$Career Assists Leaders
%^$
1. Yvette Angel 562 1981-85%^$2. Lisa Cline 491 1985-89%^$3. Katie Smith 444 1993-96%^$4. Cheryl Perozek 341 1988-91%^$5. Jamie Lewis 317 1995- %^$ Laurie Pirtle 317 1976-80 %^$7. Averrill Roberts 306 1990-93%^$8. Geneva Sanford 305 1985-89%^$9. Alysiah Bond 297 1992-95%^$10. Liana Coutts 295 1984-89%^$
%^$Buckeye All-Star
%^$For Lauren Shenk, the summer of 1999 was anything but typical. The 5-10 sophomore guard enjoyed the fruits of a four-game exhibition tour in Belgium and Germany as a member of the Big Ten All-Star Team. The unit posted a 3-1 record with Shenk pacing the scoring effort with an 11.0 scoring clip. The long-range shooting talent tied the Buckeye freshman record for three-pointers last season, draining 43 on the year. Shenk ranked third in the league in shooting proficiency with a clip of .382 and sank a trey in 23-of-28 games, including a Value City Arena record 5-of-7 performance vs. Illinois Jan. 8.%^$
%^$Scholar-Athletes
%^$Six returning members of the Buckeye Basketball team attained scholar-athlete laurels last season. Senior Michaela Moua, juniors Courtney Bale and Mandy Stanhope, and sophomores Tomeka Brown, Laura Ingham and Lauren Shenk all earned OSU Scholar-Athlete honors, maintaining GPAs of 3.0 and higher. Moua and Stanhope also tabbed Academic all-Big Ten recognition.%^$
%^$We’re No. 2
%^$In just two seasons, Coach Beth Burns’ talent as a top-notch recruiter has resulted in her securing the No. 2-ranked freshman class in the country. The all-Ohio class consist of two nationally-ranked players in 6-4 center LaToya Turner (Pickerington High School) and 5-4 point guard Tanya McClure (Gahanna-Lincoln) who were hailed at No. 2 and No. 7, respectively at their positions. Forward DiDi Reynolds, 6-1, reigns as the Division IV Player of the Year out of Hopewell-Loudon. Also joining the frontcourt are Ohio Capital Conference standout D’wan Shackleford, 6-0, and Courtney Coleman, 6-2, of Cincinnati Hughes who ranked sixth in the state last year, collecting 15.9 caroms per game.%^$
%^$Buckeye Class of 2000
%^$Head Coach Beth Burns has again secured members of the nation’s top high school talent in assembling her 1999 fall recruiting class, signing Ohioans Caity Matter, a 5-10 guard, and 6-3 forward Emily Haynam. %^$
%^$Matter, a First Team all-Ohio selection and the Division III Player of the Year, enters her senior campaign with a 26.0 ppg scoring average. Ranked No. 18 nationally by the All-Star Girls Report (ASGR), Matter is a pure shooter who owns every offensive record of the Pirates’. %^$
%^$Haynam averaged 12.8 points, 4.0 assists and 2.0 blocks per game as a junior, and led the Ohio Capital Conference (OCC), collecting 9.8 rebounds per game for the Wildcats. Ranked No. 91 by ASGR, she is a first team all-OCC selection and earned honorable mention all-District laurels.%^$
%^$Beth Burns Show
%^$The “Beth Burns Show” can be seen each Sunday morning at noon through March 12 on WSYX-TV (Channel 6). Join Ohio State Coach Beth Burns and host Clay Hall for an in-depth look at%^$
%^$Buckeye Basketball, player features, and all the latest news and results on the 2000 Big Ten title race. %^$
%^$Play It Again
%^$If you happen to miss a phenomenal play in tonight’s game all is not lost. Insight Communications – SPORT! Television will replay tonight’s game on Insight Channel 36 and Time Warner ‘s Channel 24 tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 10:30 p.m. %^$
%^$What The Experts Say
%^$Big Ten Coaches
%^$Preseason Top-Five Picks
%^$1. Penn State
%^$2. Illinois
%^$3. Wisconsin
%^$4. Purdue
%^$5. Michigan & Michigan State
%^$
%^$Preseason All-Big Ten Picks
%^$Andrea Garner (PSU), Susan Blauser (ILL), Katie Douglas (PUR), Helen Darling (PSU), LaTonya Sims (WIS).%^$
%^$Big Ten Media
%^$Preseason Top-Three Picks
%^$1. Illinois
%^$2. Penn State
%^$3. Purdue
%^$
%^$Preseason All-Big Ten Picks
%^$Katie Douglas (PUR), Andrea Garner (PSU), Susan Blauser (ILL), LaTonya Sims (WIS), Tauja Catchings (ILL).%^$
%^$Buckeyes On The Tube
%^$With the onset of the 1999-2000 Big Ten Season, the Buckeyes will enjoy having seven games televised both statewide and regionally. Ohio State will host Wisconsin, Jan. 16 and Michigan State, Jan. 27 as part of the Big Ten Player of the Game package produced by Fox Sports Chicago. %^$
%^$Five additional games will be televised throughout central Ohio by Insight Sport! Television and include Purdue (Jan. 13), Indiana (Jan. 30), Michigan (Feb. 6), Northwestern (Feb. 13) and Penn State (Feb. 27). The rebroadcast will occur twice after each game on Insight Channel 36 and Time Warner Channel 24. %^$
%^$Next Time Out
%^$Ohio State returns to action Sunday hosting Wisconsin, 5-5, 0-2 Big Ten, in the featured Big Ten Game of the Week on FOX Sports Television. Tip-off is 5 p.m..
