No. 17/18 Ohio State Women’s Basketball Competes in Big Ten//Big East Challenge vs. Rutgers – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/3/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 3, 2004
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THE TIP
The No. 17/18 Ohio State women’s basketball team (9-2, 1-0 Big Ten) takes to the road to face Rutgers (6-4; 0-0 Big East) in the Big Ten/Big East Challenge at 5 p.m. Jan. 4 in Piscataway, N.J. The game will be televised on ESPN2. This is the sixth meeting between Ohio State and Rutgers. OSU holds a 3-2 series advantage.
SCOUTING RUTGERS
Rutgers is 6-4 overall this year and has not begun Big East competition yet. All four of the Scarlet Knights’ losses have come on the road and three were to Top 25 squads, two of which are in the Top 10 currently – Texas Tech (73-45) and Tennessee (59-49). The Scarlet Knights also fell to current No. 17/18 LSU, 78-68. Rutgers opened with three wins in the Preseason WNIT Tournament, including a victory over the Big Ten’s Michigan, 65-50. Among the three consecutive wins Rutgers recently tallied at home, the Scarlet Knights beat No. 19/19 TCU, 73-65. Rutgers is led by Cappie Pondexter, who averages 17.9 points, 3.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Chelsea Newton and Dawn McCullouch add 13.2 and 12.0 points per outing. Shalicia Hurns is a January 2002 transfer from Wabash Valley (Ill.) Community College and Purdue, where she spent her freshman year and earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman team as a rookie. She is leading the team with over eight rebounds per game.
RUTGERS’ C. VIVIAN STRINGER
C. Vivian Stringer is in her ninth season at the helm of the Rutgers program. She has compiled a 154-92 record in eight years at Rutgers and holds an overall 674-227 mark in 31 years as a head coach. Stringer has taken 16 teams to the NCAA Tournament and is the only collegiate coach – male or female – to make it to the Final Four three times with three different teams. A three-time national coach of the year, Stringer began her coaching career at Cheyney (Pa.) University, where she stayed from 1971-83 and made it to the 1982 NCAA Final Four. Stringer then took over at Iowa University from 1983-95. While at Iowa, her teams were a combined 269-84 and made it to the 1993 Final Four. A native of Edenborn, Pa., Stringer is a graduate of Slippery Rock University.
LAST TIME OUT VS. WISCONSIN
The No. 17/18 Ohio State women’s basketball team (9-2, 1-0 Big Ten) turned the ball over a season-low 10 times and opened the Big Ten season with a 65-46 victory over Wisconsin (5-5, 1-0 Big Ten), Jan. 2 at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Sophomore Kim Wilburn dished a season-best nine of Ohio State’s 18 total assists, had only one turnover in 33 minutes of play and grabbed three steals, scored four points and pulled down a season-high seven rebounds. Senior LaToya Turner scored 14 points (6-of-11) and tallied a team-high eight boards and four blocked shots. Rookies Jessica Davenport (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus) and Brandie Hoskins added 13 points apiece. Davenport was 7-of-10 from the free-throw line and had two blocked shots. Hoskins was 6-of-10 from the field.
A series of scoring runs characterized the Buckeye-Badger game, but ultimately Ohio State’s 17-3 scoring run to close the game capped the conference win for Jim Foster’s squad. Badger Emily Ashbaugh hit a jumper with 7:45 to play and brought Wisconsin to within five points (48-43), but Ohio State turned up the defense and held the Badgers without a bucket for more than three minutes and forced five steals, including two by junior Caity Matter, in the final minutes.
After almost four minutes without a score by either team to open the game, it looked as though Ohio State had taken control with a 15-3 run that sent the Buckeyes up 17-7 with 10:47 left in the half. A Matter trey gave Ohio State the biggest lead of the half, 25-14, with 6:40 left in the first, but the Badgers answered with a 10-2 run of their own to pull the game to within three points (27-24) at the midway mark.
Wisconsin was able to keep the Buckeye lead to less than 10 points to open the second half until Davenport sank two free throws at 11:41, which gave the Buckeyes a 46-36 advantage. The Badgers inched away at the Buckeye lead over the next four minutes, but Ohio State would prove to be too much for Wisconsin and utilized the 17-3 run to end the game and earn the team’s second-consecutive conference opener win.
Michelle Mu±oz, Matter and Candace Dark scored nine, seven and five points to round out the Buckeye scoring effort. Mu±oz added five boards, two assists and only one turnover.
Ashbaugh, Lello Gebisa and Ashley Josephson, who scored 11 points each, led Wisconsin. Ashbaugh and Stephanie Rich collected nine rebounds and Gebisa had eight boards.
LINKS TO THE PAST
Not only are Ohio State head coach Jim Foster and Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer both natives of the state of Pennsylvania, these two coaches both made it to the 1993 Final Four while leading different schools. Foster’s Vanderbilt squad and Stringer’s Iowa team were 1993 Final Four teams. The teams did not meet and both were knocked out in the semifinals. Vanderbilt fell to eventual champion Texas Tech and Iowa lost to none other than Ohio State. Notably, current Ohio State student assistant and former two-time All-American Katie Smith was a member of the Buckeye squad that beat Iowa to make it to the final game and fell 82-84 to Texas Tech.
Additionally, Stringer’s Iowa teams and Ohio State created quite a rivalry in the Big Ten conference during her tenure. Stringer spent 12 years at Iowa from 1983-95 and during those years, Ohio State sold out St. John Arena – the historic home of Buckeye basketball – three times – all of them in games vs. a Stringer-coached Iowa squad. The largest crowd was 13,320 Feb. 26, 1988. Ohio State won 58-54. Feb. 4, 1994 and March 7, 1993 are tied for second in OSU history with a sell-out crowd of 13,276 for each game. Iowa took the first game 64-41 and the Buckeyes won the next game 72-60 in a prelude to one of the national semifinal matchups that season.
Ironically, the only other sell-out in Ohio State history was a March 21, 1993 game vs. Rutgers, in which Ohio State won 91-60. The capacity was 12,000 and is considered a sell-out based on the number of tickets allotted.
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
Ohio State head coach Jim Foster and Rutgers’ head coach C. Vivian Stringer bring a combined 55 years experience to the Big East/Big Ten Challenge matchup Jan. 4. Foster is in his 26th year as a head coach and Stringer is in her 32nd season.
FIBA FRIENDS
Ohio State’s Caity Matter and Rutgers’ Cappie Pondexter spent the summer as members of the USA Basketball 2003 USA Basketball World Championship For Young Women Team squad that was led by Buckeye head coach Jim Foster. The team finished with a 7-1 record and won the inaugural FIBA World Championship For Young Women gold medal in Sibenik, Croatia, last summer.
BIG TEN OPENER
Since 1982-83, the first official season of Big Ten competition, Ohio State is 15-7 overall in Big Ten openers. The Buckeyes opened 2003-04 league play Jan. 2 with a 65-46 win over the Badgers of Wisconsin. It was the first time Ohio State had ever opened Big Ten games against Wisconsin. Second-year head coach Jim Foster is 2-0 in Big Ten openers; last season, the Buckeyes beat Northwestern 82-49 Dec. 31 in Columbus to open conference competition.
SEASON-HIGH MARK VS. UW
The Ohio State vs. Wisconsin attendance from the Jan. 2 game was a season-high mark of 3,401. The Buckeyes are averaging 2,097 people at all games and 2,178 in Columbus.
WILBURN COMES ALIVE VS. BADGERS
Sophomore Kim Wilburn came alive vs. Wisconsin Jan. 2. She tied her season-high assist mark with nine assists and accounted for half of Ohio State’s 18 total assists. The point guard from Southfield, Mich., also pulled down a season-best seven rebounds and tallied three steals, four points and only one turnover in 33 minutes of action.
KEEPING THE TO’S LOW
Against Wisconsin, Ohio State had a season-low 10 turnovers, including only four in the second half. The Buckeyes entered the game averaging 16.8 turnovers per outing.
RELYING ON DEPTH
Ohio State is relying on the bench this season in a big way. Three non-starters are averaging over 10 minutes per game for head coach Jim Foster and the squad’s second-leading scorer, Jessica Davenport with 12.5 points per game, comes off the bench. Key contributors from the sideline include Davenport, Michelle Mu±oz and Candace Dark. Against Wisconsin, the Buckeyes outscored the Badgers 27-4 in bench points and for the year, the Buckeyes have outscored opponents 280-141 with bench points.
ALLEN OUT AGAIN
Ohio State women’s basketball player Ashley Allen suffered a knee injury in the Dec. 20 St. John’s game and will not return for the remainder of the season. Allen, who missed the opening game vs. Ohio and returned to the court vs. Florida A&M after suffering a similar injury last January at Illinois, was averaging 5.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and was shooting .417 from the field and .500 from 3-point land.
BUCKEYES 1-0 VS. TOP 25
Ohio State is 1-0 vs. the Top 25 this season. The Buckeyes faced the first ranked squad this year at UC Santa Barbara Dec. 28 and won, 73-59.
BETTER THAN HALF
The Buckeyes have shot better than .500 in 8-of-11 games this year. Ohio State is 7-1 this season when they shoot .500 or more and 2-1 when they shoot less than .500.
POINTS LEADER
Caity Matter has been the leading scorer for Ohio State in five games this year and is averaging a team-best 16.4 points per outing. Matter has also been the scoring leader for both squads in four games, including the two contests in California vs. UCSB Dec. 28 (19 points) and at UCLA Dec. 30 (21 points).
MINUTES FOR WILBURN
Sophomore Kim Wilburn is averaging a Buckeye-best 30.9 minutes an outing. Wilburn led the team last season as a freshman with 34.8 minutes per game, including five 40-minute contests, three of which came in the final four games of the year.
DARK SEEING THE LIGHT
Sophomore guard Candace Dark scored a career-best 12 points in 14 minutes during the Buckeyes’ win over UCSB Dec. 28. Dark was 4-for-7 from the field, 2-for-5 from downtown and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.
UCSB WINNING STREAK COMES TO A HALT
Ohio State’s 73-59 victory at UCSB Dec. 28 snapped the Gauchos’ 27 consecutive game winning streak at home, a mark that ranked second in the country behind Connecticut’s 63 wins in Storrs, Conn. as of Dec. 28.
Additionally, the Buckeyes shot .529 for the game, including a .654 stroke in the second half. Prior to the contest, UCSB had held the last 111 opponents to less than .500 shooting dating back to the final game of the 1999-00 season.
MVP’S ALL AROUND
While freshman Brandie Hoskins was named the MVP of The 2003 Wonder/Hostess Buckeye Classic, look no further than the current Ohio State bench for the last MVP of the event. Student assistant and two-time Ohio State All-American Katie Smith was named the most valuable player of the 1994 Buckeye Classic.
COLUMBUS STREAK CONTINUES
The Buckeyes continued their unbeaten home record vs. Penn Dec. 21. Under Jim Foster, Ohio State is 22-0 in Columbus dating back to the beginning of the 2002-03 season. Additionally, the current Buckeye win streak is 24 consecutive games, dating back to the final two games of the 2001-02 season. The Buckeyes’ 24-consecutive home victories ranks second in Ohio State women’s basketball history. The longest home winning streak is 26 games, which began in the January of the 1987 season and lasted until December of 1988.
DOUBLE DUTY
It is no secret Ohio State has been relying on myriad of players to score and score big this season. That was proven in the championship game of the Buckeye Classic vs. Penn Dec. 21. For the first time this season, five Ohio State players scored in double digits. Brandie Hoskins netted 22, Jessica Davenport swished 20, Caity Matter scored 12 and LaToya Turner and Kim Wilburn each sank 10.
Additionally, against UCSB, Ohio and IUPUI, four Buckeye players scored in double digits. Against the Gauchos, Matter, Turner, Candace Dark and Wilburn scored 19, 16, 12 and 10 points, respectively. In the Bobcat contest, Davenport, Hoskins, Matter and Wilburn tallied 15, 13, 17 and 15 points, respectively. Against IUPUI, Matter scored 26, Hoskins scored a career-high 17, Turner tallied 13 and Davenport scored 10 points.
Three Buckeye players scored in double digits vs. Florida A&M, at Nebraska, vs. Wright State and against Wisconsin. Matter, Davenport and Hoskins tallied 21, 23, and 10 points, respectively, vs. the Lady Rattlers and against the Cornhuskers, Turner (16), Matter (14) and Davenport (10) scored in double digits. Davenport notched a career-best 25 points, Stephanie Blanton earned a personal-best 12 points and Turner scored 10 vs. Wright State. Turner scored 14 and Davenport and Hoskins scored 13 each in the conference opener vs. Wisconsin Jan. 2.
Only three times this season have two or fewer players scored in double digits for the Buckeyes – against UNC Wilmington (W), St. John’s (W) and UCLA (L).
FEELING IT IN THE FIRST
Freshman Brandie Hoskins has wasted no time feeling comfortable in a scarlet and gray uniform this year. Actually, she has seemed most comfortable in the first 20 minutes of each game this season. For the year, Hoskins has put up impressive numbers in the first 20 minutes. She is 33-of-52 from the field and 4-of-9 from downtown overall in first halves this season.
In the game vs. the Quakers of Penn Dec. 21, Hoskins broke her career-best mark with 18 points off an 8-of-10 stroke and ended the game with 22 points. She recorded a .833 field goal percentage (10-of-12) to tie for 10th place in Ohio State history for the highest field-goal percentage in a game. Hoskins’ mark tied those of former Buckeyes Courtney Coleman and Katie Smith.
Speaking of strong first-half performances, fellow rookie Jessica Davenport scored 16 points in the first half vs. Penn. Her previous high in a first half was nine points vs. Florida A&M Nov. 23. She was 7-of-8 from the field in the first half and ended the afternoon vs. the Quakers with 20 total points off a 9-of-10 mark from the field – a stroke which ties Davenport for third place on the all-time individual single-game percentage list with former Buckeyes D’wan Shackleford and Stacie Bruce.
LUCKY SIX
Junior guard Beth Howe has scored six points – her season-best mark – three times in three consecutive games vs. Wright State, St. John’s and Penn.
OFFENSIVE ACTION
Ohio State scored 95 points vs. Penn Dec. 21. That marked the fourth time the Buckeyes have scored 80 or more points this season. Jim Foster’s squad also racked up 83 vs. Ohio, 96 vs. IUPUI and 88 vs. Wright State.
BLANTON STARTS; SETS CAREER-HIGH
Freshman Stephanie Blanton returned to the starting lineup for the Ohio State vs. Wright State contest. Blanton, who previously started vs. UNC Wilmington and IUPUI and started in both Buckeye Classic contests, scored a personal-best 12 points off a 4-for-4 night with four boards and three assists in 21 minutes Dec. 18 vs. the Raiders.
DOUBLE-MANIA
Senior LaToya Turner returned to the lineup against IUPUI Dec. 1 after missing the first three games of the year due to an injury suffered in preseason. Turner, the 2000 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, is averaging 11.3 points per game and has scored in double-digits every game except two this season – 13 vs. IUPUI, 16 vs. Nebraska, 10 vs. Wright State, 10 vs. Penn, 16 vs. UCSB and 14 vs. Wisconsin.
Turner earned her ninth career and second season double-double vs. UCSB with 16 points and 11 boards. Her first double-double of the season was against Penn Dec. 21 with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
3’S IN 35 BY 25
Junior shooting guard Caity Matter, who wears No. 25, has made a 3-pointer in 35 consecutive games. Her streak dates back to Dec. 20, 2002 vs. Youngstown State.
SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE
Ohio State is leading the Big Ten with a 20.5 assists-per-game average while holding opponents to only 12.9 assists per game. Leading the way is sophomore point guard Kim Wilburn and freshman Brandie Hoskins. Wilburn is tied for second in the Big Ten with 6.4 and Hoskins holds the eighth spot with 4.0 assists per game.
Additionally, as of Jan. 1, the Buckeyes are the top team in the league with a 1.24 assist-to-turnover ratio. Wilburn is No. 2 and Hoskins is No. 5 on the assist-to-turnover ratio list with 1.97 and 1.78 marks, respectively.
KEEPING OPPONENTS DOWN
The Buckeyes are holding opponents to 53.1 points per game – a mark that is ranked second in the league. Ohio State also comes in second among league leaders with a +21.4 scoring margin.
HOT SHOTS
Ohio State is the best shooting squad in the Big Ten with a .547 mark from the field and a .424 average from downtown. Freshmen Jessica Davenport and Brandie Hoskins are shooting lights out with .650 and .593 marks, which ranks second and fourth, respectively, in the Big Ten. Davenport is tallying 12.5 and Hoskins is notching 10.9 points per game.
Sharp shooter Caity Matter is averaging a conference-best 3.36 treys per game and the team is ranked second with 6.36 3-pointers per game.
GETTING RIGHT TO WORK
Ohio State head coach Jim Foster has used a variety of combinations for his starting lineups this year. The freshman class has been part of those lineups. Jessica Davenport has started in five, Brandie Hoskins has started in 11 and Stephanie Blanton has started in eight games (including the last six) this season.
DAVENPORT SCORES CAREER HIGH
Against Wright State Dec. 18, freshman Jessica Davenport scored a quiet six points in the first half and came alive the second half with a 19-point effort to total 25 points on the night – a career-high mark. Davenport was 11-for-13 from the field and her .846 percentage (11-of-13) from the field is ranked 10th all-time for a single-game mark from the field for a Buckeye.
BULLS EYE FOR DAVENPORT
Freshman Jessica Davenport has already placed herself among the Top 10 two times for single-game shooting accuracy (minimum 10 attempts). She was 11-for-13 from the field vs. Wright State and her .846 percentage (11-of-13) from the field is tied for 10th all-time for a single-game mark from the field for a Buckeye. Two games later, Davenport scored 20 points off a 9-of-10 night from the field. Her 9-of-10 accuracy is tied for third place among Buckeye single-game leaders.
BUCKEYES RIGHT ON TARGET
The Buckeyes’ .720 effort (36-of-50) from the field vs. Wright State is an all-time high percentage for an Ohio State team in a single game. The next closest mark was a .689 stroke (42-of-61) vs. Central Michigan Dec. 21, 1985. For the season, Ohio State’s next closest shooting prior to the record-setting performance vs. the Raiders was a .632 stroke vs. Penn Dec. 21.
MATTER SETS OSU SINGLE-GAME TREY RECORD VS. IUPUI
Junior shooting guard Caity Matter earned a single-game record with eight 3-pointers made vs. IUPUI Dec. 1. The previous record of seven was set by former two-time All-American and current student assistant Katie Smith vs. Northwestern Jan. 15, 1995. Matter tied the mark with seven makes from downtown Jan. 16, 2003 at Wisconsin.
RECORDS VANISHING AT THE VCA
Ohio State’s 14 3-pointers drained as a team against IUPUI Dec. 1 is a Buckeye Value City Arena record for makes from 3-point land. Foster’s squad rewrote the previous record of 10 during the game vs. UNC Wilmington Nov. 25 with 12 3-pointers nailed as a team.
After opening with .385 and .375 mark from behind the arc vs. Ohio and Florida A&M, respectively, Ohio State shot a season-best .667 (12-of-18) from 3-point land vs. UNCW Nov. 25. That mark gave Ohio State a Buckeye record for 3-point percentage in Value City Arena. The previous record was earned when the Buckeyes shot .615 from behind the arc vs. Pittsburgh Dec. 2, 1998. That 3-point percentage mark has stood since the first year the VCA was used as the home of Ohio State women’s basketball. Ohio State continued the hot shooting from downtown with a .609 (14-for-23) stroke against IUPUI Dec. 1. As a team the Buckeyes are shooting a league-best .529 from the 3-point line.
Freshman Jessica Davenport tied a Value City Arena record (set by Courtney Coleman Jan. 31, 2002) with 14 trips to the free-throw line vs. Florida A&M (Nov. 23).
SWATTING STUFF
Ohio State is averaging 3.0 blocks per game compared to opponents’ 1.0 blocks per game. The team is led by rookie Jessica Davenport, who stands at 6-feet-5-inches tall, has blocked a shot in 9-of-11 contests and is averaging 1.8 blocked shots per outing, and veteran LaToya Turner, who is blocking 1.4 shots per outing and is ranked second among OSU career block leaders. Ohio State has held four teams to zero blocks this season. Davenport’s 1.8 average is ranked third in the Big Ten.
REBOUNDING A TEAM EFFORT
Ohio State is relying on seven players to dominate the boards. Senior LaToya Turner is notching a team-best 6.3 caroms per contest and freshmen Jessica Davenport and Stephanie Blanton are averaging 4.6 and 4.0 rebounds per game, respectively. Rookie Brandie Hoskins and Michelle Mu±oz are tallying 3.6 boards each and sophomore point guard Kim Wilburn and junior Caity Matter are bringing down 3.4 and 3.0 boards per game, respectively.
A TRUE TEAM EFFORT
A senior, a junior and two freshmen are averaging double digits for Ohio State. Junior Caity Matter is leading all scorers with 15.5 points per game. Freshman Jessica Davenport is notching 12.2 points, senior LaToya Turner is averaging 11.3 points an outing and rookie Brandie Hoskins is netting 10.9 points per game.
DAVENPORT EARNS FIRST CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Freshman Jessica Davenport earned her first double-double as a Buckeye vs. Florida A&M. Davenport tallied 23 points and 12 rebounds and four blocked shots off a 7-of-11 day from the field and an 9-of-14 stroke from the charity stripe. Notably, Davenport’s 14 free throw attempts vs. Florida A&M tied an Ohio State VCA record set by Courtney Coleman vs. Indiana Jan. 31, 2002.
MATTER AND WILBURN INVITED TO U.S. TRIALS
Junior Caity Matter and sophomore Kim Wilburn were invited to the 2003 USA Basketball Women’s National Team Trials last spring at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Buckeye pair was two of 60 athletes from around the country asked to try-out. Matter was selected to join the Young Women Team, which was coached by Jim Foster. The squad went on to tally a 7-1 record and capture the gold medal at the inaugural FIBA World Championships for Young Women in Sibenik, Croatia last summer.
FOSTER AND MATTER HONORED BY USA BASKETBALL
Jim Foster, head coach of the 2003 USA Basketball World Championship For Young Women Team last summer, was named the 2003 USA Basketball Developmental Coach of the Year by the USA Basketball Executive Committee. Junior shooting guard Caity Matter, who was selected to the Young Women Team from the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Trials last spring, earned a spot as part of the 2003 USA Basketball Team of the Year, which also was selected by the USA Basketball Executive Committee. Both Foster and Matter (as part of the team) have been nominated by USA Basketball for the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Developmental Coach of the Year and Team of the Year awards, respectively, which will be announced by the USOC at a later date.
Foster’s squad finished with a 7-1 record and collected the inaugural FIBA World Championship For Young Women gold medal in Sibenik, Croatia, last summer.
NEW FACES ON STAFF
WNBA Minnesota Lynx forward Tamika Williams and Erin Wright were named assistant coach and director of basketball operations, respectively, for the Ohio State women’s basketball program over the summer. A student assistant for the Buckeyes last season, Williams’ primary duties will include on-the-floor coaching and recruiting responsibilities and Wright, who served as the director of basketball operations for two seasons at Vanderbilt under Foster, will be managing the day-to-day operations of Buckeye basketball, including travel, camp and schedule coordination.
SMITH NAMED TO 2004 USA BASKETBALL SENIOR NATIONAL TEAM
Katie Smith, a student assistant in the Ohio State women’s basketball office and a former two-time All-American at OSU, is one of the first seven members named to the 2004 USA Basketball Women’s Senior National Team. Smith will be part of the team that is expected to represent the U.S. at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. A Logan, Ohio, native, Smith is also a member of the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx. She is a four-time All-WNBA player and a four-time WNBA All-Star.
THE VOICES OF THE BUCKEYES
Tune to WOSU 820 AM for complete coverage of all Buckeye basketball games this season. Marty Bannister will replace Herb Howenstine, who moved to Texas last summer, as the play-by-play announcer. Color commentary duties will be shared by a trio of former Ohio State players in Alysiah Bond (1992-95), Toni Roesch (1983-86) and Kristin Watt (1982-85).
MEET THE FRESHMEN
Freshmen Stephanie Blanton, Jessica Davenport and Brandie Hoskins will be sporting Scarlet and Gray this year. Stephanie Blanton, the 2003 Dispatch/Agonis Club Co-Player of the Year, averaged 23.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks at Lancaster (Ohio) High School. Davenport, a 2003 McDonald’s All-American, averaged 17.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.1 blocks, 2.3 assists and shot 64 percent from the field last year at Independence (Columbus) High School. Hoskins, the 2003 Division II All-Ohio Player of the Year, tallied an average of 15.9 points and 6.0 rebounds at Chaminade-Julienne.
WAITING IN THE WINGS
Tia Battle, a junior transfer from Vanderbilt University, also will join the Ohio State women’s basketball team this season. A six-foot guard/forward from Plymouth, Minn., she spent two seasons with the Commodores and started in 16-of-30 games, averaging 5.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 18.5 minutes per game last year. A 2001 Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year and 2000 NIKE All-American, Battle also was a three-time Street & Smith Honorable Mention All-America selection. Battle will sit out the 2003-04 campaign per NCAA transfer requirements, but will have two years of eligibility remaining when she begins competing with the Buckeyes next season.
HISTORIC ST. JOHN ARENA
Two times during the 2002-03 regular season the Buckeyes hosted games in historic St. John Arena and the tradition will continue this season. The Dec. 18 contest against Wright State, which the Buckeyes won 88-45, and the Feb. 19 Northwestern game will both be held in the former long-time home of Buckeye hoops. Additionally, Ohio State and St. John Arena will play host to the 2004 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship First- and Second-Round Games March 20 and 22. Tickets for all women’s basketball games and for all other Ohio State athletics events can be purchased at www.hangonsloopy.com or by calling 1-800-GOBUCKS.
Last season, Ohio State faced then-No. 17/18 Texas Jan. 5 and Big Ten foe Michigan Feb. 27 in St. John. Ohio State beat the Longhorns, 70-66, and wrapped up the regular-season portion of their schedule with a 70-55 victory over the Wolverines.
