No. 4 Women’s Basketball To Face No. 2 Purdue in Big Ten Title Game – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/10/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 10, 2003
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TITLE GAME TIP OFF
No. 4-seed Ohio State (21-8; 10-6 Big Ten) tips off against No. 2-seed Purdue in the championship game of the 2003 Big Ten Tournament at 7 p.m. ET March 10 in Conseco Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Ind.).
HOW THE BUCKEYES GOT HERE
No. 4 Ohio State earned a first-round Big Ten tournament bye and moved right to the quarterfinal round to face No. 5-seed Michigan State. After splitting in the regular season, the Buckeyes handily beat the Spartans 71-55 and advanced to take on the top-seeded Lady Lions of Penn State.
While the Buckeyes lost 68-53 at State College earlier this season, Ohio State redeemed themselves by outrebounding the Lady Lions, 40-29, and shooting .509 (27-53) from the field in a 72-61 victory, which advanced the team to the championship game of the Big Ten tourney for only the second time in the history of the program.
MOVE OVER MICHIGAN STATE ….
The No.4-seed Ohio State women’s basketball team beat No. 5-seed Michigan State (17-11), 71-55, Friday in quarterfinal action of the 2003 Big Ten Tournament. Sophomore Caity Matter led Ohio State with 21 points, junior LaToya Turner notched 13 scores, freshman Kim Wilburn added 12 points and seniors Courtney Coleman and DiDi Reynolds tallied 10 points apiece. The Buckeyes shot a season- and Big Ten tournament-high 60 percent (27-45), including a season-best 7-of-11 mark (.636) from beyond the 3-point arc. Ohio State rebounded after the Spartans jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead to open the game by laying on a 31-9 scoring run over approximately the next 15 minutes, which gave the Buckeyes a 16-point lead (31-15) with just over a minute to go in the half. After a 3-pointer and a field goal by Michigan State’s Kristin Haynie and Syreeta Bromfield, respectively, Ohio State took a 31-20 advantage into the locker room. Turner, who was playing in her third game since suffering a broken arm Feb. 6 vs. Minnesota, and Matter each tallied 10 points and were a combined 9-of-12 from the field in the first stanza. Additionally, Matter, who stand at five-feet-eight-inches led all rebounders with five caroms to close the first 20 minutes of play.
The second half opened with both squads trading 3-pointers and despite three consecutive makes from downtown by Spartan Lindsay Bowen, which cut the Buckeye lead to 10 points (39-29) at the 17:45 mark, Ohio State continued to dominate and eventually took a 25-point lead (61-36) after two Wilburn free-throws with 7:52 to play. Ohio State was steady and led by no fewer than 13 points for the remainder of the game.
Matter ended the afternoon with a game-high seven boards, which ties her career high set against Michigan Feb. 23. Reynolds also tied her career-best mark of seven assists and Turner rejected five shots, which is a season-high record for the center from Pickerington, Ohio. Turner also had six rebounds, tied her career-bests of five assists and five steals and only turned the ball over three times.
Coleman grabbed five rebounds and classmate D’wan Shackleford collected four rebounds and scored two points. Also contributing to the Buckeye offense, junior Erika Christenson netted two points and sophomore Beth Howe scored one point.
… AND PASSING PENN STATE
The No.4-seed Ohio State women’s basketball team (21-8; 10-6 Big Ten) upset No. 1-seed Penn State (24-8; 13-3 Big Ten), 72-61, Sunday in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. The Buckeyes outrebounded the Lady Lions, 40-29, and shot .509 (27-53) from the field on their way to the championship game for only the second time in the history of the program. Senior Courtney Coleman led the Buckeye effort with 19 points, junior LaToya Turner scored 15 points, freshman Kim Wilburn notched 12 scores and senior DiDi Reynolds added 11 points. Senior D’wan Shackleford was a force on the boards with a game- and season-high 12 rebounds.
After Penn State took a 21-20 lead off a Kelly Mazzante 3-pointer with 8:51 to go in the first half, Ohio State went on an 18-to-6 scoring run to close the first 20 minutes of action and established an 11-point advantage (38-27) heading into the locker room. During the run, Reynolds nailed two fast-break shots from behind the 3-point arc off assists from Wilburn, who drained two buckets herself and racked up eight assists for the night. Turner also hit two shots to combine for 14 of the team’s final 18 points in the first stanza. Wilburn and Turner each made a free throw in the run as well.
While Penn State’s Hazel Joseph scored the first bucket of the final half, Ohio State maintained its intensity and never let Penn State get closer than six points. The Buckeyes took a 13-point lead four times in the initial 7:44 of the second half due to the dominant high-low play of Turner and Coleman. Sophomore Caity Matter, who led the Buckeyes in scoring heading into tonight’s matchup, drained her only 3-pointer on a fast-break pass from Wilburn to establish one of the Ohio State 13-point leads at 14:46.
Penn State made a slight run in the last three minutes, once from a Jennifer Brenden trey at with 1:28 left and once again when Tanisha Wright converted a three-point play with just under one minute to play. However, Matter went 5-for-6 from the charity stripe to close the game and the Buckeyes sealed the win with a fastbreak layup by Turner with eight seconds left.
PURDUE’S TRIP TO THE FINAL GAME
Two upsets in round one and the quarterfinals resulted in No. 2 Purdue facing a No. 11 seed (Michigan) and a No. 6 seed (Iowa). The Boilermakers beat the Wolverines 72-50 in the quarterfinals and downed the Hawkeyes 84-57. Erika Valek and Shereka Wright were the main offensive producers for Boilermaker head coach Kristy Curry’s squad. Valek led all scorers in the Michigan battle with 19 points and Wright netted 28 points vs. Iowa.
NINE POINTS IN TWO GAMES
The two games in which the Buckeyes and the Boilermakers have met this season were decided by a total of nine points. Then-No. 9/10 Purdue edged Ohio State 67-62 in Mackey Arena Feb. 2 and the Buckeyes returned the favor by capturing a 56-51 win in Columbus 21 days later over a No. 10/11 ranked Boilermaker team.
ROUND ONE IN MACKEY
The No. 23 Ohio State women’s basketball team lost to No. 9/10 Purdue, 67-62, Feb. 2 at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. The Buckeyes were led by sophomore Caity Matter, who scored 22 points (7-12) and was 5-for-5 from behind the 3-point line in the first half. Senior Courtney Coleman tallied 15 points (7-9) and freshman Kim Wilburn distributed a career-best 11 assists and had only two turnovers vs. the Boilermakers.
Buckeye senior DiDi Reynolds nailed a 3-pointer with 47 seconds to go and pulled her squad to within two points (64-62) of the Boilermakers, but with 23 ticks left on the clock Purdue’s Shereka Wright, who led her team with 21 points (four in the first half) and a perfect 11-for-11 stroke from the line, created a three-point play with a field goal under the basket and a subsequent free throw to seal the victory.
The Buckeyes went into halftime with a one-point advantage (34-33) and opened the second half with Coleman hitting two consecutive shots to put Ohio State ahead 38-33. The Boilermakers went on a 14-3 run to take a six-point lead (47-41) with 15:06 to play. Purdue maintained a modest advantage until Matter nailed one of her six total treys at the 6:18 mark and knotted the game for the eighth time at 55. Sophomore Ashley Allen sent Ohio State up by two on the next Buckeye possession with a baseline jumper, but Wright answered to tie the game for the ninth and final time with 4:42 left.
After two Coleman misses from the charity stripe, Purdue’s Erika Valek hit a 3-pointer to take a 60-57 lead. Coleman responded with a field goal to bring the Buckeyes to within one point for the 11th time before Valek answered yet again with a jumper and Wright made two free throws prior to Reynolds’ trey at the 47-second mark.
In a tight contest during the first ten minutes, Purdue led by as many as six points (14-8) after a Lindsey Hicks basket. The Buckeyes would not back down and answered with a 17-7 run capped by an Allen layup, which put Ohio State ahead of their hosts 25-21. While Purdue whittled the Buckeye lead away over the next five minutes of play and went up by two (29-28) after a pair of Valek free throws, Matter and Coleman combined for seven points and kept the Buckeyes up by one going into the locker room.
Ohio State shot 47.1 (24-51) percent from the field compared to Purdue’s 39.6 (21-53) percent. However, the Boilermakers were a nearly flawless 19-of-20 (.950) from the free-throw line, while Ohio State went 6-of-14 from the stripe (.429).
Junior LaToya Turner added nine points, Reynolds scored six, Allen netted four points and junior Erika Christenson, senior D’wan Shackleford and Wilburn each added two points to round out the Buckeye offensive effort. Allen grabbed a game-high seven rebounds and Coleman earned four steals.
PAYBACKS IN VALUE CITY ARENA
The Ohio State women’s basketball team beat No. 10/11 Purdue, 56-51, Feb. 23 in front of a season-high 7,003 people at Value City Arena.
After leading by as many as ten points in the second half, Ohio State depended on senior DiDi Reynolds to knock down two free throws with 18 seconds left to help seal the victory. Sophomore Caity Matter, who also hit a pair of shots from the free-throw line with two ticks left, led the Buckeye with 19 points, including three shots from behind the 3-point line, which brought her season total to 86 and tied the record for most treys in a season by a Buckeye.
The Buckeyes were up 34-24, the biggest lead for either squad this afternoon, with 13:54 remaining, but the Boilermakers went on a 6-0 scoring run to pull the game to within four points (34-40) after a Shereka Wright layup with 10:48 to go. Matter hit a 3-pointer on the next possession and Wright answered once again, before senior D’wan Shackleford made a shot in the paint to stretch the Ohio State lead to seven points (39-32) with just under nine minutes left in the game. Purdue held Ohio State to two Courtney Coleman free throws over the next three-minutes-and-three-seconds and pulled to within one point (41-40) at the 6:20 mark off an Emily Heikes’ shot from downtown.
A Matter jumper ended the Buckeyes’ field-goal drought and put Ohio State up 43-40 with 5:53 to play. Over the next five minutes, the Buckeyes maintained a modest lead by hitting free throws (7-11), yet once again remained without a field goal during that time. Purdue’s Wright hit as shot with 1:01 left to tie the game for the fourth time at 50. However, freshman Kim Wilburn came off a screen to nail a baseline jumper and the Buckeyes took a 52-50 lead with 35 seconds left. Wright went 1-for-2 from the charity stripe, which left Ohio State ahead, 52-51, with 20 seconds remaining. Reynolds was then sent to the line and drained two shots to give the Buckeyes a three-point cushion (54-51) with 18 seconds left. Purdue could not convert on the offensive end and sent Matter to the line to secure a 56-51 Buckeye victory.
The first half was a back-and-forth battle with three ties and five lead changes, however Ohio State went on an 8-2 run off two consecutive Wilburn shots and two back-to-back Matter jumpers to close the half and take a 24-20 halftime lead.
Ohio State turned the ball over a season-low 11 times, but forced 20 Purdue turnovers and ultimately scored 21 points compared to Purdue’s four points-off-turnovers.
Besides Matter’s 19 points, Wilburn, Shackelford and Coleman rounded out the Buckeyes’ offensive force by netting 12,10 and nine points, respectively. Coleman collected eight caroms and Reynolds pulled down six rebounds (four offensive) to control the boards for Ohio State. Wilburn also earned six steals, three assists and four rebounds. Junior LaToya Turner played 20 minutes vs. Purdue after suffering a broken arm during the Feb. 6 Minnesota matchup.
LOOKING BACK
The last time an Ohio State team was in the title game of the Big Ten tournament was when the event was reinstated after a 13-year hiatus in 1995. The then-No. 7-seed Buckeyes fell to then-No. 1-seed Penn State, 68-63. The only tournament crown the Buckeyes own is the1982 Big Ten Tournament championship; Ohio State went 3-0 in a double-elimination format and brought the title home to Columbus.
OHIO STATE-PURDUE TOURNEY TIDBITS
Since the Big Ten Tournament was reinstated in 1995, Ohio State is 1-2 all-time vs. Purdue. Their lone win in a tournament game over a Boilermaker squad was in the quarterfinal round of the 1995 event, when Ohio State beat Purdue 72-59.
UP AT HALF MEANS …
…. a Buckeye win – usually. Ohio State is 18-1 when up at the midway mark. Their lone loss after a halftime lead came at the hands of then-No. 9/10 Purdue Feb. 2 in West Lafayette. The Buckeyes were up 34-33 heading into the locker room, but the Boilers would not allow their undefeated home court streak vanish and ended up with a 67-72 win.
RECAPPING THE MICHIGAN STATE GAME
Ohio State shot a season- and Big Ten Tournament-high 60percent (27-45) vs. No. 5 Michigan State Friday afternoon in theBuckeyes’ 71-55 quarterfinal win. Ohio State’s previous season-bestpercentage was 58 (29-50) against Texas Jan. 5 in St. John Arena.The Buckeyes also nailed a season-best .636 (7-11) percent of theshots they took from 3-point land. Senior DiDi Reynolds dished outseven assists, which tied her career-high mark. Sophomore CaityMatter pulled down seven rebounds, which ties her season-best mark,for the second consecutive game. She also collected seven boardsvs. Michigan Feb. 23. Junior LaToya Turner played in her third gamevs. Michigan State March 7 since breaking her left arm in the Feb.6 Minnesota contest. Turner had a solid afternoon with 13 points,six rebounds, only three turnovers and tied her career-high marksof five assists and five steals. Additionally, she set a personalseason-high with five blocked shots.
RECAPPING THE PENN STATE GAME
Ohio State’s 72-61 win over Penn State Sunday afternoon was thefirst for a Buckeye squad since Dec. 30, 2001, when OSU beat PSU inState College 70-65. That particular game in 2001 broke a six-gamelosing streak to the Lady Lions. Senior D’wan Shackleford collecteda season-high 12 rebounds vs. Penn State. For the third straightgame, sophomore Caity Matter collected seven rebounds, aseason-high mark for the guard from Bluffton, Ohio. Senior CourtneyColeman, who has been in either the first- or second-place spotamong national shooting leaders all season is a combined 13-of-16for the tournament, including an 8-of-9 game vs. Penn State. TheBuckeyes committed a season-low nine turnovers vs. the Lady Lions.
IN 2003 BIG TEN TOURNEY GAMES …
The Buckeyes are averaging 71.5 points an outing and holdingteams to 58.0 points an outing. The Buckeyes are shooting .551(54-98) vs. opponents’ .372 (42-113) average. The Buckeyes are 50percent (11-22) from beyond the arc and opponents’ are shooting 28percent (13-47). The Buckeyes are outrebounding teams 35.5 boardsper game vs. a 29.5 average for opponents..
DJ VU – WELL, SORT OF…
During last year’s Big Ten Tournament, Ohio State also faced Michigan State in the first round and moved on to face Penn State in the quarterfinals. While the Buckeyes did earn a double-overtime victory (89-82) over the Spartans last season, their outcome was not successful in the Lady Lion matchup. Penn State knocked Ohio State out of the tournament with a 70-55 win. This year, however, Ohio State beat Penn State in the team’s second game, 72-61, and advanced to meet Purdue in the championship contest tonight.
BUCKS AND BOILERS UNBLEMISHED AT HOME
Both Ohio State and Purdue are a perfect 14-0 at home this season. The mark for Ohio State was the best since the 1992-93 Final Four Buckeye squad was a perfect 16-0 in St. John Arena.
FIVE FOR THE FROSH
Five times this season, freshman Kim Wilburn has earned double digits on the offensive side of the court. Against Michigan State, Wilburn scored 12 points and in the final regular-season game vs. Michigan Feb. 27, she notched 13 points. The freshman from Southfield, Mich., added 12 points vs. then-No. 10/11 Purdue Feb. 23 and Wilburn’s 8-for 10 stroke upped her career-high mark for points with 18 against then-No. 15/16 Minnesota Feb. 6. Her previous best offensive performance was 15 points against Illinois Jan. 23 off a 7-for-11 night from the field. The frosh Buckeye point guard is averaging 6.7 points per game.
5-3 VS. TOP 25 SQUADS
The Ohio State Buckeyes are 5-3 vs. ranked teams this season. Ohio State beat then-No. 14/15 Penn State yesterday in semifinal action of the Big Ten Tournament (72-61), then-No. 10/11 Purdue (56-51) Feb. 23, then-No. 15/16 Minnesota, 66-58, (Feb. 6), captured a win over then-No. 17/18 Texas, 70-66, Jan. 5 in St. John Arena, and was victorious over then-No. 19/24 Arizona (84-65) Dec. 15 in Value City Arena. The squad fell at No. 14/15 Penn State Jan. 30 (68-53), at No. 9/10 Purdue (67-62) Feb. 2 and at No. 17/18 Minnesota (73-50) Feb. 16.
SHOOTING SIXTH
As of the March 3 NCAA national rankings, Ohio State was ranked sixth in the country with a then-.485 shooting mark from the field.
FIVE TWICE
Twice this year, Ohio State has utilized five Buckeyes scoring in double digits. Against Michigan State Friday afternoon, sophomore Caity Matter led Ohio State with 21 points, junior LaToya Turner notched 13 scores, freshman Kim Wilburn added 12 points and seniors Courtney Coleman and DiDi Reynolds tallied 10 points apiece.
In the 82-74 victory over Illinois Jan. 23, Ohio State also relied on the even scoring force of five Buckeyes notching double-figures. Coleman, Matter, Wilburn, sophomore Ashley Allen and Turner scored 18, 16, 15, 10 and 10 points, respectively.
FIRSTS FOR THIS OSU TEAM
Three times this season the Buckeyes have accomplished something that no member of the team had previously experienced. Today’s championship game is the first time a member of this year’s squad has participated in a Big Ten tournament title game.
Today’s contest is also the first time a Buckeye from this year’s squad has played in three games at the Big Ten tournament; the past six years, Ohio State has been sent back to Columbus after two games.
Additionally, the team’s road win at Wisconsin (57-42) Jan. 16 and the 82-74 victory over Illinois Jan. 23 was a first for this set of Buckeyes. No member of the current Ohio State team had previously earned a victory in Madison or a victory over Illinois – home or away.
20 WINS AND COUNTING
The Buckeyes moved to 21-8 for the 2002-03 season, which is the first time an Ohio State team earned 20 wins since 2000-01, when the squad was 22-11 and captured a WNIT Championship.
Ohio State’s 20-win season is the 15th time in school history a team has recorded 20 victories.
The last time a team had 21 wins was during the 1995-96 season; Ohio State was 21-13 and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Tennessee, 97-65, in Knoxville, Tenn.
First-year head coach Jim Foster’s 20-wins is the 17th time and fifth consecutive year he has accumulated a 20-win season in 25 years of coaching.
FOSTER’S FIRST SEASON AT OSU
Jim Foster’s 21-8 (.724) start is the best for a first-year head coach at Ohio State since Nancy Darsch went 23-6 (.793) in the 1985-86 season before falling to Louisiana State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament (81-80) to begin her Ohio State tenure. The best overall record for an Ohio State first-year coach belongs to Debbie Wilson, who went 15-1 (.938) in the 1972-73 season.
NO STRANGER TO TOURNEY TITLE GAMES
First-year head coach Jim Foster is no stranger to tournament title games. Today’s game will mark Foster’s third-consecutive appearance in a conference tournament championship contest. While at the helm of the Vanderbilt basketball program, he made a total of five trips to the SEC Tournament title games (1993, ’94, ’95, ’01 and ’02) and captured three tourney crowns (1993, ’95 and ’02).
MATTER AND REYNOLDS CARRYING THE LOAD FROM DOWNTOWN
Sophomore Caity Matter and senior DiDi Reynolds are the only Buckeyes to attempt and make 3-pointers during the 2003 Big Ten Tournament. Each of the players is 50 percent from beyond the arc; Matter is 6-of-12 and Reynolds is 5-of-10.
WELCOME BACK, TURNER
Junior LaToya Turner returned to the court Feb. 23 vs. Purdue after breaking her left arm during the Feb. 6 Minnesota game in Value City Arena. The 6-3 center has been a welcomed back with open arms to the Buckeye squad after missing four games, three of which the Buckeyes lost. Ohio State is 4-0 since her return and she has averaged 14 points, three blocked shots and 5.5 boards in the tournament games.
She was also a presence in the lane and aided the Buckeyes on the defensive end to earn a huge win (56-51) over a then-No. 10/11-ranked Purdue squad.
Additionally, Turner had a solid night against Michigan. Turner racked up seven points, six boards, two assists, two steals and two blocks. Turner, who was ranked third in the Big Ten with 1.52 rejected shots entering the Wolverine game, recorded two blocked shots Feb. 27. The last time she had blocked a shot was Jan. 26 against Iowa.
BIG TEN TOURNEY CHAMPIONSHIP VETERAN
Junior Emily Haynam should feel right at home tonight. This is her second Big Ten tourney appearance this year. Her first was as the goalkeeper for the Ohio State soccer team that captured the program’s first-ever Big Ten Tournament title by beating Wisconsin, 2-1, in the final game. Haynam was an undefeated 3-0 in the tournament and was selected to the all-tournament team.
REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE NOTES
The Buckeyes’ 21-8 record in 29 games is the best since the1992-93 season, when Ohio State went 26-3 in 29 games on their wayto putting together a 28-4 overall mark and a trip to the nationalchampionship game, where the team fell to Texas Tech 84-82. TheBuckeyes’ 10-6 Big Ten record is the best conference record for anOhio State team since the 1992-93 season when the team was 16-2 inconference games. The Buckeyes’ undefeated 14-0 home record putsthem in a class with only seven other squads in Ohio State historywho were undefeated at home.
HOME SWEET HOME, 14-0
Ohio State successfully defended their home court all season and amassed a 14-0 record in Columbus for the first time since the 1992-93 team went 16-0 at home. The Buckeyes beat Michigan, 70-55, in the season finale, which was held in St. John Arena.
The Buckeyes’ undefeated 14-0 home record puts them in a class with only seven other squads in Ohio State history who were undefeated at home:
1966-67: 1-0 (The second year of Ohio State basketball’s existence.)
1972-72: 3-0
1975-76: 9-0
1977-78: 7-0
1982-83: 14-0
1987-88: 15-0 (including a second round NCAA Tournament win in Columbus)
1992-93: 16-0 (including a second round NCAA Tournament win in Columbus)
2002-03: 14-0
