Unbeaten Women’s Basketball (9-0) Hosts UCLA Thursday night in Value City Arena – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/20/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 20, 2000
%^$The Tip
%^$The Ohio State-UCLA matchup will cap a three games over six days run to close the Buckeyes’ non-conference campaign. The stretch began with a 94-32 win over Arkansas Pine Bluff Dec. 16 and reached the midway point with a 100-35 win vs. Akron Tuesday.%^$
%^$Media Coverage
%^$WBNS Radio 1460 (AM) The Fan serves as the flagship station for Ohio State women’s basketball, broadcasting over 53 statewide affiliates. Herb Howenstine and former Buckeye Toni Roesch (1983-86) will deliver the live coverage. The game can also be heard on the Buckeyes’ internet broadcast by logging on to ohiostatebuckeyes.com.%^$
%^$Holiday Stretch
%^$Following Thursday’s game, the Buckeyes will enjoy a week-long break away from the playing floor. Ohio State returns to action Dec. 28, hosting Indiana in its Big Ten opener. The Buckeyes will close the first week of conference play with a New Year’s Eve afternoon matchup against defending league champion Penn State, also in Value City Arena.%^$
%^$Season Records
%^$The Ohio State Buckeyes remain unbeaten at 9-0 following a 100-35 victory against Akron Tuesday evening. The Buckeyes’ record marks the best start to a season since the 1972-73 unit marched to 14 consecutive wins.%^$
%^$UCLA is 1-7 on the year and coming off an 86-60 loss to Old Dominion Dec. 18.%^$
%^$The Series
%^$The Ohio State-UCLA series started just 12 years ago in 1988. The Buckeyes lead the series 3-1 and are undefeated against the Bruins in Columbus. Thursday’s game is the first between the two programs since 1992.%^$
%^$
Date Outcome Site%^$12-30-88 W, 63 – 46 A%^$12-20-89 W, 66 – 57 H%^$12-18-91 L, 58 – 71 A%^$12-22-92 W, 91 – 80 H%^$
%^$Bucks Vs. The Pac-10
%^$Ohio State has competed against six (of 10) members of the Pacific-10 Conference. The Buckeyes are 10-5 vs. the league with the only losing record compiled against Southern California.%^$
%^$Arizona, 0-0
%^$ASU, 1-0
%^$Cal, 2-0
%^$Oregon, 1-0
%^$Oregon State, 0-0
%^$Stanford, 1-0
%^$UCLA 3-1
%^$USC, 2-3
%^$Washington, 0-0
%^$WSU, 0-0
%^$
%^$Head Coach Beth Burns
%^$Marking her 12th career season, the fourth at Ohio State, Coach Beth Burns continues to guide the program to heightened success both on and off the court. Last season, Burns guided the Buckeyes to a 13-15 record with a starting lineup featuring three freshmen and two sophomores. Two underclassmen earned All-Big Ten honors from that campaign, including 2000 Big Ten Freshman of the Year LaToya Turner (Pickerington, Ohio). Academically, six Buckeyes earned OSU Scholar-Athlete honors and five players, a single-season program record, attained Academic All-Big Ten laurels. 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). Burns enjoys a career record of 205-121 (.629) and is 55-39 (.581) as a Buckeye.%^$
%^$Burns Against The Bruins
%^$Head Coach Beth Burns is 1-1 against UCLA. While the head coach at San Diego State the two programs met just twice, in 1992, during her eight-year stay. The Bruins won the Jan. 3 meeting 82-59. The Aztecs came away 77-52 victors on Dec. 6.%^$
%^$Buckeye Co-Captains
%^$Guards Jamie Lewis (Oak Hill, Ohio) and Tanya McClure (Gahanna, Ohio) are co-captains of the 2000-01 Buckeye Basketball squad. It is the second such stint for Lewis who was also a co-captain during her freshman campaign with then-junior Larecha Jones.%^$
%^$Last Time Out Buckeyes Blast Akron
%^$Ohio State broke the 90-point barrier in its third straight game and for the fifth time this season, coasting to a 100-35 victory over intrastate rival Akron Tuesday night at Value City Arena.%^$
%^$Ohio State remains unbeaten at 9-0 with the win, marking the second-best start to a season in school history. Only the 1972-73 squad, at 14-0, posted a better start to a season than this year’s team.%^$
%^$LaToya Turner (So., Pickerington, Ohio) led five Buckeyes in double figures with 20 points. Lauren Shenk (Jr., Minster, Ohio) added 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting from three-point range, while Tomeka Brown (Jr., Columbus, Ohio) tallied a season-high 17 points. Courtney Coleman (So., Cincinnati, Ohio) scored 16 points, while D’wan Shackleford (So., Newark, Ohio) added a dozen points for the Buckeyes.%^$
%^$Jamie Lewis (Sr., Oak Hill, Ohio) tied a career high with 13 assists – one off the school record.%^$
%^$Ohio State used an overwhelming defensive presence to force Akron into 40 turnovers in the game, leading to 59 Buckeye points. OSU committed just 10 turnovers in the game – a season low.%^$
%^$Jamie Scott led Akron with 12 points. The Zips’ leading scorer, Cheryl Bowles was held to a season-low seven points. Akron falls to 2-8 on the season.%^$
%^$Victory of Record
%^$Ohio State’s 65-point victory is the second largest against an opponent in Ohio State history. Ironically, the largest margin of victory was also against the Zips to the tune of 70 points, 105-35, in February 1977.%^$
%^$The Buckeyes’ Tuesday night performance just eclipsed their 62-point victory vs. Arkansas Pine Bluff (Dec. 16). That victory was the fourth largest in Ohio State history.%^$
%^$What 9-0 Means
%^$The Buckeyes are one of 12 teams in the country to remain unbeaten this week and the only program in the Big Ten Conference to enjoy the distinction.%^$
%^$Ohio State’s 9-0 record equals the best start to a season since the 1972-73 Buckeyes racked up 14 consecutive wins from the season’s launch.%^$
%^$Buckeye Injury Report
%^$Guard Tanya McClure and forward Courtney Bale (Vista, Calif.) remain on the injury roster. McClure, 5-4, has been idle since Nov. 20, nursing a fracture in her left foot and is out for an indefinite period of time. The 6-2 Bale stepped on a teammate’s foot in practice Nov. 26 and fractured her left fibula. She will be out four to six weeks total.%^$
%^$UCLA Head Coach Kathy Olivier
%^$In her eighth season at UCLA, Kathy Olivier (UNLV, 1982) has built the Bruin program into a national contender. She has guided the Bruins to three-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight berth in 1999. Olivier has coached at UCLA for 15 years, joining the program in 1986 as an assistant, before earning the head coaching job, her first, in 1993. Olivier was a standout at Cal State Fullerton and UNLV, earning All-America honors as a junior with the Running Rebels. She enjoys a career record of 116-92.%^$
%^$Scouting The Bruins
%^$Guard Michelle Greco, 5-9, scored a career-high 34 points in UCLA’s first and only win of the season over Long Beach State (86-60) Dec. 10. Greco is the only Bruin averaging double-figure scoring at 19.1 points per game, a clip that also ranks 40th in the country. Malika Leatham, a 6-2 center, is the No. 2 scorer for the sqaud (7.3 ppg) and the top rebounder at 5.5 caroms per outing.%^$
%^$You’ve Seen Her Before
%^$Yes, you have seen Bruin assistant coach Tia Jackson before. Jackson helped lead Big Ten foe Iowa to four Top 25 final rankings in the five seasons she played under former coach Vivian Stringer. She also was a member of the 1993 squad that Ohio State faced and defeated in the NCAA Final Four semifinals in Atlanta, Ga.%^$
%^$Turner Moves Up Blocks Ladder
%^$With two rejections against Akron (Dec. 19), center LaToya Turner made another move on the OSU career blocks ledger, joining Lisa Negri who ranks sixth all-time. The 6-4 sophomore, who leads the Big Ten Conference in blocks per game (2.7 bpg) and ranks fifth nationally, has 24 this season, 60 total in just 36 career games. She is five short of taking over the No. 5 spot held by June Brewer (65).%^$
%^$
Career Blocks Leaders%^$1. Mary Sivak 241 1978-82%^$2. Francine Lewis 124 1982-86%^$3. Tracey Hall 109 1984-88%^$4. Mindy Smith 66 1987-90%^$5. June Brewer 65 1974-78%^$6. Lisa Negri 60 1993-96%^$ LaToya Turner 60 2000-%^$8. Carla Chapman 57 1981-85%^$9. Lisa Cline 51 1985-89%^$
%^$Let’s Talk Defense
%^$Akron was stunned by Ohio’s State’s defense, producing more turnovers (40) than points (35) in the 40-minute tilt. The Buckeyes, who acquired a season-high 23 steals, held the Zips to just 15 points at halftime.%^$
%^$Akron is the third team to be held under 40 points this year. Seton Hall (Nov. 29) and Arkansas Pine Bluff (Dec. 16) had difficult nights as well, producing just 38 and 32 points, respectively.%^$
%^$The playing environment for opposing teams in Value City Arena gets tougher and tougher as the Buckeyes are 5-0 on their home floor this season, barring opponents to no more than 41.2 ppg.%^$
%^$Now Offense
%^$Averaging 88.0 points per game and enjoying a scoring margin of nearly 38 points per game, the Buckeyes have built an offensive unit that ranks fourth nationally in scoring offense and field goal percentage, third in scoring margin and 11th in 3-pt FG percentage.%^$
%^$Ohio State has cleared 90 points five times this year, twice eclipsing the 100-point plateau. The Buckeyes’ season high is a 102-55 victory vs. Long Beach State (Dec. 3).%^$
%^$Eye On The Prize
%^$Forward Courtney Coleman (Cincinnati, Ohio) connected on five-of six shots vs. Akron, shooting 83 percent from the floor for the night. Coleman has been numero uno in terms off accuracy this season as she paces all players in the Big Ten Conference in field goal percentage, averaging a staggering 73.1 percent (38-of-52) from the floor.%^$
%^$Value City Is Tops
%^$Value City Arena again ranks as one of the top venues in the country in women’s basketball attendance. The Buckeyes, who finished ninth nationally a year ago (7,277 per game), are averaging 6,063 fans per game which ranks ninth nationally among Division I institutions this season.%^$
%^$Lewis Keeps Climbing
%^$Guard Jamie Lewis tied her single-game assists mark vs. Akron (Dec. 19), distributing 13 for the evening. The country’s No. 2 leader in assists per game, Lewis paces the Big Ten Conference with an average of 9.8. She passed Ohio State Olympian Katie Smith on the career ladder Dec. 10, and with 474, ranks third all-time. The senior co-captain enters Thursday’s game 18 short of becoming the second all-time leader. The post is currently held by 1989 Big Ten Player of the Year Lisa Cline (491).%^$
%^$
Career Assists Leaders%^$1. Yvette Angel 562 1981-85%^$2. Lisa Cline 491 1985-89%^$3. Jamie Lewis 474 1998-%^$4. Katie Smith 444 1993-96%^$5. Cheryl Perozek 341 1988-91%^$
%^$Lewis Attacks Steals Ladder
%^$While it’s not possible to overlook guard Jamie Lewis’ assault on the career assists ladder, the 5-5 guard is quietly waging another campaign in career steals. Lewis collected three take-aways Tuesday for 153 for her career and is just three short of taking over the No. 9 all-time listing.%^$
%^$
Career Steals Leaders%^$1. Yvette Angel 326 1981-85%^$2. Averrill Roberts 273 1990-93%^$3. Tracey Hall 259 1984-88%^$4. Lisa Cline 237 1985-89%^$5. Nikita Lowry 190 1985-89%^$6. Katie Smith 174 1993-96%^$7. Audrey Burcy 168 1990-93%^$8. Toni Roesch 156 1982-86%^$9. Marrita Porter 155 1995-99%^$10.Jamie Lewis 153 1998-%^$
%^$On The Run
%^$Guard Jamie Lewis, who sank two (of seven) treys vs. Akron has hit at least one 3-point goal in every game this season, including both exhibition games.%^$
%^$Shenk “For Three”
%^$It was guard Lauren Shenk “for three” all night against Akron (Dec. 19). Shenk canned a career-best six 3-point goals, topping her previous high of five, set during her freshman season vs. Illinois (Jan. 1999).%^$
%^$Noting More Success
%^$Tomeka Brown scored a season-high 17 points vs. Akron (Dec. 19), topping her previous best of 14, last set vs. Seton Hall (Nov. 29). Brown also tied a career high with four steals, matching the mark she last set vs. Pittsburgh (Dec. 1998).%^$
%^$Charting Turner
%^$
LaToya Turner’s 20 points vs. Akron paced the Buckeyes andmarked her ninth consecutive game this season in double figures, acareer best.%^$
%^$
Turner has bettered her career-high records in points (37),rebounds (14), assists (3), blocks (6) and steals (5) all withinthe first seven games of the season.%^$
%^$
The Pickerington, Ohio, native also is one of the standoutperformers in the Big Ten Conference. The league’s No. 2 scorer(18.8 ppg) and No. 1 shot-blocker (2.8 bpg) is listed as one of topplayers in another five statistical categories.%^$
%^$
Turner Game-By-Game%^$ Pts. Rebs. Blks. Stls.%^$Cleveland State 37 14 2 2%^$Valparaiso 15 5 1 2%^$Rhode Island 10 8 1 4%^$Seton Hall 18 8 4 5%^$LBSU 19 5 0 2%^$Wisconsin-GB 20 8 5 2%^$Bowling Green 17 6 6 4%^$Arkansas-PB 13 4 3 3%^$Akron 20 5 2 5%^$
%^$The Ink Is Dry
%^$Fourth-year Ohio State Coach Beth Burns, who signed the nation’s No. 2-ranked recruiting class in 1998, has again secured a pool of the country’s top high school talent. Joining the Buckeyes for the 2001-02 season will be All-America prepster Ashley Allen, a 5-foot-10 inch guard from Ben Davis (Indiana) High School, First Team All-Ohio selections Jackson guard Beth Howe, 5-7, and Grove City power forward Charisse Crews, 6-2, and Minnesota preseason player of the year nominee Brandee Gibbs, a 6-5 center at Orono.%^$
%^$Next Time Out
%^$Ohio State opens its Big Ten campaign Thursday, Dec. 28, hosting the Indiana Hoosiers in Value City Arena at 7 p.m.
