Women’s Basketball (12-10, 5-7) vs. Iowa (7-15, 4-8) – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/15/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 15, 2000
The Tip
The Buckeyes will round out the regular-season playing three of their last four games on the road beginning Thursday at Iowa. Game time in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,500) is 8 p.m. Eastern.
Ohio State, 12-10 overall and 5-7 in league play (seventh), is coming off a solid 61-35 win over Northwestern Sunday and will be looking for its second straight win over the Hawkeyes.
Over The Years
Ohio State’s 70-66 win in Value City Arena last season snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Hawkeyes, who lead the series 21-13. The Buckeyes are 9-7 against Iowa in Columbus but have struggled in Carver-Hawkeye Arena managing just a 3-12 mark of success. In fact, the Buckeyes’ last win as visitors occurred 15 years ago, 56-47, in February 1985. Ohio State trails on a neutral floor 1-2.
Iowa Completes Single-Game Series
Iowa is the last of four Big Ten single-game matchups on the Buckeyes’ regular-season schedule. Ohio State sports a 2-1 record in the stint, defeating Minnesota (59-50) and Northwestern (61-35), while falling to Michigan (61-65).
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 44-34 (.564) as a Buckeye and is 195-115 (.629) for her career. Burns is 21-23 (.477) in her third season of Big Ten competition and 1-3 against Iowa.
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 2-2 Michigan State 4-3 Minnesota 4-0 Northwestern 2-2 Penn State 1-3 Purdue 1-5 Wisconsin 3-3 23-25 *Record includes Big Ten Tournament results
On Ohio State
Led by a career-best 20-points effort by Sophomore guard Tomeka Brown, the Ohio State women’s basketball team plugged a two-game losing skid with a 61-35 victory over Northwestern Sunday at Value City Arena.
In addition to her scoring success, Brown matched her career-best effort for steals (four) as the Buckeyes ran to their most lopsided win in Big Ten play this season. Freshman center LaToya Turner added 10 points for the Scarlet and Gray.
Ohio State, which enjoyed 52 percent shooting from the floor in the first half, led 31-18 at the half. Defensively, Northwestern was held to 17 points in the second half and committed 36 turnovers, a season high.
Leslie Schock led Northwestern with nine points, while Tami Sears scored eight points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the loss.
Burns on Northwestern
“This game was critical for us to win. We’re going on the road for the next three and playing teams that are equal to us or just behind us. It’s positioning time in the Big Ten. This was a huge game for us to get.
“We felt when Northwestern was left to run their offense, they could score. If we made it a short court game, we thought they would fatigue and we could force some turnovers.”
Iowa Coach Angie Lee
Iowa head coach Angie Lee is rounding out her fifth season with the Hawkeye program, touting a career and school records of 82-57 (.590).
An Iowa guard herself from 1979-84, Lee served as an assistant coach under C. Vivian Stringer for six seasons (1989-95) before being elevated to the full-time post.
Lee has earned a Big Ten mark of 56-31and led the Hawkeyes to two Big Ten titles under her watch in 1996 and `98. On Iowa
Iowa, without a senior on its roster, snapped a three-game losing streak of its own with an 80-73 upset of No. 25 Illinois last Sunday.
Four Hawkeyes scored in double figures led by 5-8 junior guard Cara Consuegra who posted 23 points, sinking 11-of-12 shots at the charity stripe. Sophomore guard Lindsey Meder, 5-8, leads Iowa with an 18.8 points per game average which ranks second in the league. Consuegra, a co-Big Ten Player of the Week honoree this week, is averaging 14.3 ppg and distributing 5.1 apg. Center Randi Peterson, a 6-2 junior, leads the squad in rebounding, averaging 8.2 per game. The Hawkeyes are 4-2 in league play on their home floor.
Bar The Basket
Ohio State held Northwestern to 35 points Sunday, a season low for an OSU opponent. The previous opponent low was 36 points by both Saint Peter’s (12-12) and Tennessee-Martin (12-20).
The Wildcats were also held to a season-low 34 shots in the game. Their previous low was 49, attempted at Maine (12-16).
Ohio State has now held seven opponents to 50 points or less this season. The Buckeyes are 6-1 in those contests, with the only loss coming to seventh-ranked Rutgers 46-35 (12-1) .
Brown Keeps Rolling
Tomeka Brown scored 11 of the first 17 Buckeye points on the way to a career 20-points performance vs. Northwestern. Averaging 14.4 ppg in the last five games, Brown has paced the Ohio State scoring attack in three. The Columbus, Ohio, native also tied her career steals mark with four in Sunday’s contest.
Defensively Speaking
Ohio State staged its best effort defensively in Big Ten play, racking up 18 steals vs. Northwestern. Its previous high was 15, set at Michigan State (1-2).
Sophomore guard Tomeka Brown and freshman forward D’wan Shackleford each marked career-high performances with four take-aways each.
Coleman On A Roll
Freshman forward Courtney Coleman is likely to become a point of focus on opponents’ scouting reports as the season winds down. Coleman has shot 70.6 percent (12-of-17 FGs) from the floor in the last three games, boosting her season average of 5.2 points per game to 8.5 ppg.
Turner Marks
Frosh Blocks Record
Freshman center LaToya Turner posted a block at Purdue (2-3) to give her 22 for the year and the most-ever recorded by a freshman. Her total bettered that of Lisa Negri who had 21 as a frosh in 1993.
The 6-4 center is just one rejection shy of tying the most blocks recorded in four seasons (23 by Tiffany Glosson).
Year Blocks Leaders No. 2000 LaToya Turner 22 1999 Larecha Jones 17 1998 Mindy Smith 15 1997 Larecha Jones 14 1996 Tiffany Glosson 23 1995 Lisa Negri 30
Homecourt Advantage
Value City Arena is quickly becoming a venue no opponent wants to play in as the Buckeyes’ patented defense has held its last four opponents at home to an average 52.5 ppg and forced 111 turnovers (27.8 avg.). 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, its third-highest total of the season. Against Michigan, the Buckeyes held the Wolverines to 65 points vs. their season scoring average of 72.0 ppg. In Sunday’s matchup, Northwestern compiled more turnovers (36) than points (35). Ohio State’s scoring defense for overall games ranks first in the Big Ten at 58.6 points per game.
Lewis Keeps Climbing
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, Lewis now has sole possession of the fourth all-time slot with 353.
Career Assists Leaders 1. Yvette Angel 562 1981-85 2. Lisa Cline 491 1985-89 3. Katie Smith 444 1993-96 4. Jamie Lewis 353 1995- 5. Cheryl Perozek 341 1988-91
No Shying Away
Ohio State played its sixth game this season against a ranked opponent Feb. 3 in No. 17 Purdue. The youthful Buckeyes are 1-5 overall 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 Purdue (1-13) No. 18 W, 53-51 Penn State (1-20) No. 4 L, 73-62 Purdue (2-3) No. 17 L, 75-52
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, playing in nearly a third of the overall minutes clocked. Center LaToya Turner and guard Tanya McClure lead the pack, averaging 22.5 and 16.5 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.
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
The Buckeyes will continue on the road this weekend playing in Champaign, Ill., against the Illinois Fighting Illini. Tip-off is 3 p.m. Eastern.
