Athletics Good Stuff – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | General
Athletes of the Week
• David Lighty, a junior on the men’s basketball team, was named Big Ten Player of the Week Dec. 28 after propelling Ohio State to a 72-59 win over Cleveland State Dec. 22 on the strength of a career-high 30 points.
Beginning with his dunk at 13:12 in the second half, the ESPN Top Play of the Day, Lighty ignited the Buckeyes to a 16-6 run with the junior forward scoring 15 of OSU’s 16 points during a 5:47 stretch. Lighty finished the day with seven rebounds and a team-high five assists while shooting 9-of-16 from the field to eclipse the 700-point mark and improve his overall career tally to 717. Lighty has now posted at least 20 points five times in his career, clipping the threshold three times this season, including in two of his last three outings.
• Sophomore Samantha Prahalis notched a team-high 22 points, connecting on 8-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-4 from behind the arc to help Ohio State roll by Western Illinois, 99-38, Dec. 22 in Value City Arena. The guard also recorded seven assists and five steals in just 26 minutes of play.
Athletics Good Stuff
No. 17 Men’s Basketball (10-2)
Head coach: Thad Matta
• David Lighty posted a career-high 30 points to lead Ohio State past Cleveland State, 72-59, on Dec. 22 in Value City Arena. The Buckeyes have won three contests in a row heading into its Big Ten opener vs. Wisconsin, Dec. 31.
• Beginning with his dunk at 13:12 in the second half, the ESPN Top Play of the Day, Lighty ignited the Buckeyes to a 16-6 run with the junior forward scoring 15 of OSU’s 16 points during a 5:47 stretch. The sharpshooter becomes the first Buckeye to cap the 30-point mark since Jamar Butler accomplished the feat against Illinois in January 2008.
Up Next: at Wisconsin, 2 p.m. Dec. 31 in Madison, Wis. (ESPN2)
at Michigan, 4:30 p.m. Jan. 3 in Ann Arbor, Mich. (BTN)
vs. Indiana, 8:30 p.m. Jan. 6 at Value City Arena (BTN)
at Minnesota, 3:30 p.m. Jan. 9 in Minneapolis, Minn. (BTN)
at Purdue, 7 p.m. Jan. 12 in West Lafayette, Ind. (ESPN)
vs. Wisconsin, 8 p.m. Jan. 16 at Value City Arena (BTN)
No. 6 Women’s Basketball (14-1, 2-0 Big Ten)
Head coach: Jim Foster
• Samantha Prahalis and Jantel Lavender scored 22 and 20 points, respectively, as the Buckeyes ended their nonconference schedule with a 99-38 win over Western Illinois Dec. 22 in Value City Arena. The 99 Ohio State points were the most since Nov. 26, 2002 when the Buckeyes scored 100 against Wayne State.
• Back in Big Ten action, Ohio State downed Illinois, 76-47, Dec. 28 in Champaign, Ill., to improve to 2-0 in the league standings. The win marked head coach Jim Foster’s 699th career victory. He is 699-273 in his 32nd season as a head coach. He will go for win No. 700 at Northwestern on New Year’s Eve. Foster is the ninth-winningest active coach in Division I.
Up Next: at Northwestern, 4 p.m. Dec. 31 in Evanston, Ill.
vs. Michigan, 2 p.m. Jan. 3 at Value City Arena
at Michigan State, 2 p.m. Jan. 9 in East Lansing, Mich. (CBS)
vs. Illinois, 7 p.m. Jan. 14 at Value City Arena (BigTenNetwork.com)
No. 8 Football (10-2; 7-1 Big Ten)
Head coach: Jim Tressel
• Two charter planes carrying approximately 180 members of the Rose Bowl-bound Ohio State football contingent arrived in Los Angeles just before midnight (ET) Dec. 25 after an approximate four and one-half hour flight from Rickenbacker Airport.
• Ohio State spent just over two hours stretching, lifting weights and practicing Dec. 26 at the Home Depot Center. The team then spent the afternoon at Disneyland.
Up Next: vs. Oregon at Rose Bowl, 4:30 p.m. Jan. 1 in Pasadena, Calif.
Ohio State Athletics Schedule
Dec. 31 – Jan. 4
Dec. 31
Men’s basketball at Wisconsin, 2 p.m.
Madison, Wis.
ESPN2
Women’s basketball at Northwestern, 4 p.m.
Evanston, Ill.
Men’s volleyball vs. Waterloo (scrimmage), 7 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
St. John Arena
Jan. 1
Men’s volleyball vs. Waterloo, 1 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
St. John Arena
Jan. 2
Women’s hockey vs. Robert Morris, 2:07 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
OSU Ice Rink
Jan. 3
Wrestling at Hofstra, noon
Hempstead, N.Y.
Women’s basketball vs. Michigan, 2 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
Women’s hockey vs. Robert Morris, 2:07 p.m.
Columbus, Ohio
OSU Ice Rink
Wrestling vs. Columbia/George Mason, 4 p.m.
New York, New York
Men’s basketball at Michigan, 4:30 p.m.
Ann Arbor, Mich.
BTN
