Women’s Basketball Travels To Purdue – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/31/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2000
The Tip
Ohio State travels to West Lafayette, Ind., this week for a Thursday night matchup vs. the Purdue Boilermakers. The Buckeyes, 11-8 overall, 4-5 in the Big Ten, enter the contest riding a modest two-game winning streak following home wins last week vs. Indiana Sunday (81-60), and Michigan State Thursday (64-50).
The Series
The Buckeyes won their first game in seven tries against Purdue last month, 53-51, to extend their lead in the all-time series to 26-13. OSU is 13-6 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.
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 43-32 (.573) as a Buckeye and is 194-113 (.632) for her career. Burns is 20-21 (.488) in her third season of Big Ten competition and 1-4 against Purdue.
Burns Completes The Circle
With a 53-51 victory vs. Purdue Jan. 13, Coach Beth Burns has now recorded a victory against every Big Ten school.
Burns Vs. Record* Indiana 4-0 Illinois 1-4 Iowa 1-3 Michigan 2-1 Michigan State 4-3 Minnesota 4-0 Northwestern 1-2 Penn State 1-3 Purdue 1-4 Wisconsin 3-3 22-23 *Record includes Big Ten Tournament results
On Ohio State
The Ohio State women’s basketball team shot 53.8 percent from the field while forcing Indiana into 24 turnovers, en route to a dominating 81-60 win in Value City Arena Sunday afternoon.
After recording a career-high 19 points vs. Michigan State on Thursday night, Tomeka Brown followed it up with a 15-point performance to lead the Buckeyes. Freshmen Courtney Coleman and LaToya Turner added a dozen points apiece, while fellow freshman D’wan Shackleford notched a career-high 10 points and eight rebounds.
Ohio State (11-8, 4-5 Big Ten) started the game quickly, jumping out to an 18-2 lead after five minutes of play. But the Hoosiers (8-12, 3-6) rallied, cutting the lead to six (34-28), with three minutes remaining in the first half. The Buckeyes rebounded to stretch the lead to 12 (40-28), at the half.
Indiana was paced by Jill Chapman, who scored 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Heather Cassady added 17 points while Rainey Alting chipped in 11.
Skid Halted
The Buckeyes halted a three-game losing skid, the longest of the season, with back-to-back wins at home vs. Indiana Sunday and then second-place Michigan State Jan. 27. Ohio State last put together consecutive wins vs. Minnesota and Purdue, Jan. 6 and 13, respectively.
Burns on Indiana
“Coming into this game we felt we had to take advantage of the way we played Thursday night (vs. Michigan State).
“We wanted to start fast and keep heat on their guards. We got off to a great start and let it slip a little bit, but when they came back at us, we bent but we didn’t break.
“The first five or six minutes of the game were really fun. That’s as good as it gets. We were making things happen.”
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 Miracle. 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. Curry, 14-5 overall, will be looking for her first win vs. the Buckeyes Thursday.
On Purdue
Since losing 53-51 in Columbus Jan. 13, the Boilermakers have enjoyed a five-game winning streak and moved into a second-place tie in the league standings at 6-3. Junior forward Katie Douglas remains one of the best all-around players in the league as she leads Purdue in scoring (21.1 ppg), assists (4.3 apg), and steals (2.8 spg), and ranks second in rebounding (6.6 rpg). Junior center Camille Cooper is another top performer who paces the squad in rebounding (7.3 rpg) and ranks second in scoring, adding 13.2 points per game. Douglas paced the squad in a 70-31 victory over Northwestern Sunday, guiding three players in double-figure scoring with 20 points, three rebounds and six assists.
No Shying Away
Ohio State’s 53-51 victory Jan. 13 vs. then No. 18 Purdue was its first against a ranked team this season. The youthful Buckeyes are 1-4 overall in the effort this season.
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 Penn State (1-20) No. 4 L, 73-62
Last Time Vs. Purdue
Forward Michaela Moua picked the perfect time to hit her first basket.
Ohio State’s lone senior, Moua hit a driving layup with three-tenths of a second remaining as the Buckeyes upset defending national champion Purdue, 53-51, Jan. 13 in Value City Arena. The Buckeye win was OSU’s first over Purdue since Dec. 31, 1995, breaking a six-game losing skid to the Boilermakers.
OSU (9-5, 2-2 Big Ten) led the game 51-44 with 6:28 remaining in the second half, but then went ice-cold from the field, failing to hit another field goal until Moua’s hoop just before the buzzer. The No. 18 Boilermakers (9-5, 1-3) chipped away at the lead until Katie Douglas hit a leaning jumper with 20 seconds left to tie the game.
After a time out, Ohio State brought the ball down the floor, and OSU freshman Tanya McClure was fouled by Kelly Komara with 5.1 seconds remaining. McClure missed the front end of the one-and-one, but the Boilermakers committed a traveling violation on the rebound, leaving the Buckeyes with four seconds to claim the win.
On the inbound play, LaToya Turner hit Moua with a pass at the free throw line, and Moua bullied her way to the hoop for the winning basket.
The Buckeyes were paced by freshman DiDi Reynolds, who tied a career-high established one game back at Minnesota, with a dozen points. OSU’s freshmen (Turner, McClure, Courtney Coleman and D’wan Shackleford) combined for 33 of Ohio State’s 53 points. Turner, McClure and Lauren Shenk each added eight points.
Purdue was led by Katie Douglas, who scored 20 points. Camille Cooper added 12 points for the Boilermakers.
Burns on the Purdue game
“This is a big win for the Buckeyes and for the program. We beat a team that we haven’t beaten in awhile and that we have an awful lot of respect for.
“What DiDi (Reynolds) and Courtney (Bale) did off the bench for us was huge.
“I was confident with what we were doing the entire game. Everyone was doing what they were supposed to do.
“We’ve been practicing very hard and it paid off today.”
Yes, You Can Go Home Again
Ohio State assistant coach Seth Kushkin will return to Mackey Arena Thursday for the first time since celebrating Purdue’s national championship run. Just a year ago, Kushkin served as an assistant on the Boilermaker 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 some14 years later last season when Purdue posted a 16-0 mark under then Coach Carolyn Peck.
Shackleford Fills The Role
Freshman forward D’wan Shackleford enjoyed the best game of her collegiate career vs. Indiana. Shackleford notched career-highs for points and rebounds, recording 10 points and eight caroms. Shackleford’s productivity has sky-rocketed since joining the starting lineup four games back. Averaging 3.2 points and 2.6 rebounds on the year, Shackleford numbers have improved to 6.5 ppg and 2.6 rpg, respectively in the stretch.
High Scoring Buckeyes
OSU’s 81 points are its third-largest point total of the season, bested only by a 98-point performance vs. Sacred Heart and an 86-point game vs. Bowling Green.
Buckeyes On The Mark
Ohio State enjoyed its best shooting performance of the Big Ten season with 51.7 percent accuracy from the field. The Buckeyes’ 70.8 percent shooting at the charity stripe is also a team high in league play.
Brown Raises The Bar
After recording a career-best 19 points in last Thursday’s Michigan State game (1-27), Tomeka Brown followed it up with another stellar performance, scoring a team-high 15 points vs. IU. In the two-game run, Brown has averaged 16 points, shooting 63.6 percent (14-22) from the floor.
Hey, Don’t Forget Us
Ohio State’s No. 2-ranked freshman class stepped up against the Hoosiers, tallying 45-of-81 Buckeye points (55.6%) and 22 of the squad’s 31 rebounds (70.9%).
Manning The Boards
Freshmen D’wan Shackleford and LaToya Turner were a duo to be reckoned with on the boards against Indiana, collecting 15-of-31 (48.4%) team rebounds. Shackleford led the way with a career-high eight.
Defense Nets Results
The Buckeye defense has held its last two opponents to an average 55.0 ppg and forced 56 turnovers. Michigan State, which scored a season-low 50 points Jan. 27, turned the ball over on 32 counts. Indiana, scoring 60 points, committed 24 turnovers, which is the Hoosiers’ third-highest total of the season.
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.
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 338, Lewis is just four shy of moving into the fourth career slot ahead of Cheryl Perozek.
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 338 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
The Feeling of Rejection
Freshman center LaToya Turner posted a block vs. Indiana, raising her season total to 21 for the year. The mark eclipses the past three OSU individual single season blocks records. Turner is just two short of equalling the 1996 record of 23 set by Tiffany Glosson.
Year Blocks Leaders Number 2000 LaToya Turner 21 1999 Larecha Jones 17 1998 Mindy Smith 15 1997 Larecha Jones 14 1996 Tiffany Glosson 23
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, playing in nearly a third of the overall minutes clocked. Center LaToya Turner and guard Tanya McClure lead the pack, averaging 22.1 and 16.4 minutes, respectively, in overall games.
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.
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).
Next Time Out
Ohio State returns to action Sunday for its sole meeting this season against the Michigan Wolverines. Tip-off is 4 p.m. in Value City Arena.
