Women’s Basketball Travels to Penn State – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/18/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 18, 2000
The Tip
The Ohio State Buckeyes will travel to University Park, Pa., this week to challenge the only undefeated team in the league, the Penn State Lady Lions. Ohio State, 9-6 overall, is coming off an agonizing 80-45 loss to Wisconsin Sunday and shares fifth place in the league standings at 2-3.
Penn State, 15-2, 6-0 Big Ten, marked its 11th consecutive win of the season, 78-64, Sunday at Iowa.
The Series
Penn State enjoys a 20-6 advantage in the all-time series and an 11-4 record since joining the league in 1993. At home, Ohio State trails 2-4 and just last season recorded its first win in University Park (72-54) to better its road performance to 1-5. The Buckeyes are 1-2 against the Lady Lions when playing on a neutral floor.
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 41-30 (.577) as a Buckeye and is 192-112 (.632) for her career. Burns, 18-19 (.486) in her third season of Big Ten competition, is 1-2 vs. the Lady Lions.
Burns Completes The Circle
With a 53-51 victory vs. Purdue Jan. 13, Coach Beth Burns has recorded a victory against every program in the Big Ten.
Burns Vs. Record* Indiana 3-0 Illinois 1-4 Iowa 1-3 Michigan 2-1 Michigan State 3-3 Minnesota 4-0 Northwestern 1-2 Penn State 1-2 Purdue 1-4 Wisconsin 3-2 20-21
*Record includes Big Ten Tournament results
On Ohio State
Tamara Moore set Value City Arena opponent records with 29 points and eight steals, leading Wisconsin to an 80-45 victory over Ohio State Sunday in the featured Big Ten Game of the Week on FOX Sports Chicago.
Both teams got off to a slow start offensively, with only 10 points scored between the two teams after eight minutes of play in the first half.
Ohio State fought its way back into the game, rallying to tie things up for the second time in the half at 14-all, but Wisconsin erased the effort with a 14-3 run and never looked back.
The Badgers led 34-20 at the half and bettered the Buckeyes 46-25 in the second half.
Moore broke the previous opponent high of 24 points (set two times previously), and five steals, set by Penn State’s Clara Carter last year.
Ohio State was paced by Lauren Shenk, who tallied 12 points and hit two three-point goals. Freshman LaToya Turner added nine points and six rebounds for the Buckeyes.
Burns On Wisconsin
“We had an entire evening to make a statement and we didn’t.
“We really struggled to create any kind of guard play early. My concern is our lack of energy. If you’re going to get worked, at least try as hard as you can.
“By far, it was Wisconsin’s day. We had no answer.
“This young team has never done any of this before. They saw the TV cables and a packed house, and we had wide eyes. They just didn’t know how to respond to it.”
Penn State Coach Rene Portland
Penn State Coach Rene Portland recorded her 450th career victory vs. Illinois Jan. 13, and with a win Sunday at Iowa, owns a school record of 451-153 that spans 20 seasons. Her career mark over 24 years is 538-182.
On Penn State
Penn State possesses all the talent required to be ranked No. 4 in the country – inside, outside shooting , and solid rebounding and defensive skills.
Center Andrea Garner is a solid force inside, leading the squad in scoring (14.8 ppg), rebounding (9.0 rpg) and blocks (2.1 bpg). Guards Lisa Shepherd (12.6 ppg) and Chrissy Falcone (8.9 ppg) spread the defense with both shooting better than 40 percent beyond the three-point arc. Columbus native Helen Darling (9.9/5.5) is distributing a league-leading 8.06 assists per game as the squad’s floor leader.
Buckeyes In The Bryce Jordan Center
In the four years that the Bryce Jordan Center has been open, Ohio State has posted a 1-1 record and established arena records in the past two.
Last year in a 72-54 win, junior gurad Jamie Lewis established an arena and career record for free throws percentage, sinking 10 in a row. Michaela Moua collected a career-high 13 rebounds.
In 1998, then junior Larecha Jones etched an opponent scoring record 36 points in an 82-73 overtime loss.
Last Year With Penn State
The two teams split last year in the regular season with each squad claiming wins as the visitor. The Buckeyes opened the 1999 Big Ten season on the road vs. the 12th-ranked Lady Lions, recording their first-ever win in University Park, Pa., 72-54. Penn State won the regular-season finale in Columbus, 77-62, before the largest crowd on record in Value City Arena (11,088).
No Shying Away
Ohio State will be facing its fifth ranked opponent this season in the No. 4-ranked Penn State Lady Lions Thursday evening. The youthful Buckeyes were victorious in their most recent effort, defeating the 18th-ranked and defending national champion Purdue, 53-51, Jan. 13.
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 Purdue (1-13) No. 18 W, 53-51
Reynolds Emerges
Freshman forward DiDi Reynolds was held to five points vs. Wisconsin Sunday but in the previous two games has bettered her career high efforts for points, minutes played and rebounds.
Against Purdue, Reynolds matched the career scoring high she established one game back at Minnesota, with a team-high 12 points, collecting a career-high five rebounds, while playing a season-high 21 minutes. Reynolds was hot from the three-point arc in the two-game series, sinking 6-of-9 treys. She currently ranks fourth in the league in three-point field goal percentage, shooting 41.2 percent.
The Feeling of Rejection
Freshman center LaToya Turner registered three blocks in the paint vs. Purdue Jan. 13, raising her season total to 18 for the year. The mark eclipses the past three OSU individual single season blocks records.
Year Single Season Blocks Leaders Number 2000 LaToya Turner 18 1999 Larecha Jones 17 1998 Mindy Smith 15 1997 Larecha Jones 14 1996 Tiffany Glosson 23
Good Balance
The top three scorers in the Ohio State offensive attack represent all three classes of the 1999-2000 roster. Freshman LaToya Turner is producing team-leading 10.1 ppg. Sophomore Lauren Shenk is third on the team with an 9.0 points per game average and junior Courtney Bale is fourth at 5.5 ppg. Turner leads the rebounding effort as well, collecting 5.1 caroms per game.
Backcourt Steps To The Forefront
For only the fourth time this season, the Ohio State backcourt paced the team’s scoring effort last time out vs. Wisconsin. Led by sophomore guard Lauren Shenk’s 12 points, the unit was responsible for 51 percent of the total points scored.
McClure Marks Start
Freshman guard Tanya McClure marked her third consecutive career start as a Buckeye Sunday vs. Wisconsin and is one of three freshmen to have appeared in the starting lineup this season. Ohio State is currently 2-1 with the Gahanna-Lincoln (Ohio) High School alum as a starter.
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 21.3 and 16.3 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 the fifth all-time slot with 319.
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 319 1995- 6. 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
Scholar-Athletes
Five returning members of the Buckeye Basketball team attained scholar-athlete laurels last season. 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. 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.
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
During 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 will finish the weekend on the road, with a rematch vs. the Wisconsin Badgers Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
