No. 9/10 Ohio State Women’s Basketball Takes on Bowling Green in Preseason WNIT – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/11/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 11, 2004
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THE TIP
The No. 9/10 Buckeyes open official season play in round one of the 2004 Sportsview.tv Preseason WNIT at 7 p.m. Friday in Value City Arena. The winner will advance to the second round to face the winner of the Boston University vs. Saint Joseph’s contest. If the Buckeyes win, the game will be at 2 p.m. Sunday in St. John Arena.
ABOUT BGSU
Bowling Green played an exhibition game Monday night vs. Premier All Stars and won, 99-58. Kate Achter led BGSU with 19 points, followed by Whitney Taylor, Liz Honegger and Megan Thorburn who scored 15, 15 and 13 points, respectively. The Falcons beat a Premier All Stars squad with plenty of Buckeye ties, including former OSU letterwinners Tomeka Brown, Lisa Cline, Larecha Jones, Tomika Patterson and D’wan Shackleford. “Shack” was the only former Buckeye hoopster who played under Foster.
The Falcons were 21-10 last year and 11-5 in MAC play. Falcon head coach Curt Miller, who is in his fourth season at the helm of the BGSU program, returns 11 letterwinners, including three starters. BGSU made it to the final game of the MAC championships, but fell 65-56 to Eastern Michigan. Notably, Eastern Michigan was one of four teams to advance to the NCAA mideast regional held in Columbus, Ohio, last season.
LAST TIME OUT vs. AIS
The No. 9/10 Ohio State women’s basketball team (0-0; 0-0 Big Ten) beat Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) (1-5), 72-49, Wednesday night in an exhibition game at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The contest was the first exhibition game for Ohio State since Jim Foster became head coach in April of 2002.
Sophomore center Jessica Davenport led all scorers with 21 points off a perfect 10-for-10 night. Davenport matched the Ohio State record she set last spring in first-round NCAA action vs. West Virginia March 20. She also was the game’s leading rebounder with eight boards.
Senior guard Caity Matter tallied 16 points and junior Michelle Muñoz scored 12 points (6-of-9) and collected seven rebounds. Sophomore Stephanie Blanton pitched in eight points.
The Buckeyes opened the game with a 12-0 run and led by as many as 16 points twice in the first half. The halftime score was 38-22 and the Buckeyes did not let up in the second half, taking a 30-point lead (64-34) with 8:11 to play.
As a team, Ohio state shot .515 (34-of-66) and forced 23 turnovers by the Australian team. The Buckeyes had 14 steals to AIS’ two steals and outrebounded the squad 37-26.
Brandie Hoskins, Kim Wilburn and Tamarah Riley all added flour points apiece in the game and Ashley Allen scored three points. Hoskins also dished eight assists and Riley blocked two shots.
AIS was led by Caitlin Cunningham, who netted 14 points, and Christian Fox, who scored 11 points. Fox was the team’s leading rebounder with five boards.
NOTING THE AIS ViCTORY
The Buckeyes played in their first exhibition game since Jim Foster became the head coach in 2002-03.
Ashley Allen returned to the Buckeye lineup for the first time since Dec. 20, 2003 in a game vs. St. John’s.
Transfer Tia Battle made her debut in Scarlet and Gray alongside rookies Tamarah Riley and Marscilla Packer, who made their college debuts.
Jessica Davenport shot 10-for-10. She was also a perfect 10-for-10 in the first-round NCAA game last season vs. West Virginia March 20.
THE BGSU-OSU SERIES
The Buckeyes lead the series with Bowling Green, 22-3. The last time Bowling Green was victorious over the Buckeyes was a 56-50 victory Jan. 18, 1975, in Bowling Green. Ohio State has never lost in Columbus (6-0) to BGSU and is currently on a 10-game win streak over the Falcons. The last time Ohio State and BGSU met was a match-up Dec. 12, 2000 in Bowling Green. The Buckeyes were victorious 95-49. Senior Caity Matter was the only current Buckeye to play in the 2000 game and she scored nine points, grabbed eight boards and dished four assists in 29 minutes of action.
COMMONALITIES
Ohio State and Bowling Green share obvious state of Ohio ties, including a combined 14 players from the state of Ohio on both rosters, however both teams have more in common that just that.
OSU and BGSU each have one player with West Virginia roots – OSU’s Alice Jamen went to school in Wheeling and BGSU’s Julie Gompers is from Wheeling. Additionally, BGSU’s Tene Lewis and Ohio State’s Kim Wilburn both hail from Southfield, Mich.
Besides geography, the Buckeyes and the Falcons were both 21-10 last year with 11-5 marks in respective conference play. Outside of basketball records, BGSU’s athletics director Paul Krebs is a common name in Columbus. He served in administration at Ohio State from 1985-99 before returning to his alma mater as the AD.
Ohio Stat assistant coach Tamika Williams’ sister, Tangy, was a letterwinner at BGSU from 1990-94. Tangy served as video coordinator for Ohio State last season and now is an assistant coach at the University of Virginia.
SPORTSVIEW.TV WNIT BITS
The Ohio State women’s basketball team will be part of the 2004 Sportsview.tv Preseason Women’s National Invitational Tournament. The Buckeyes will face Bowling Green in round one at 7 p.m. Friday in Columbus, Ohio. If the Buckeyes win, game two will be at 2 p.m. Nov. 14 in St. John Arena vs. the winner of the Saint Joseph’s/Boston University contest.
The semifinals are Nov. 17 and the finals are either Nov. 20 or 21. Game sites and times after the first two rounds are contingent upon the Buckeyes winning and attendance at the first two games.
The field of 16 for the 2004 Preseason WNIT includes three teams from last season’s Top 25 and nine 2004 postseason participants, including Ohio State, Duke, Notre Dame, Nebraska and Arizona.
PRESEASON HONORS
The Ohio State women’s basketball team is ranked No. 9 in the preseason USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches’ Poll and No. 10 in the Associated Press poll. Both polls were released last week. In other preseason rankings, the Buckeyes are No. 6 according to Women’s Basketball News Service, No. 8 in Athlon and No. 13 among Lindy’s rankings.
COACHES’ FAVORITE
Ohio State was picked to finish first in the coaches’ Big Ten preseason poll, in front of Michigan State and Minnesota. The media chose Purdue No. 1, the Buckeyes No. 2, and Penn State No. 3. Ohio State was the only squad named in both polls.
EARLY HONORS FOR DAVENPORT
Buckeye sophomore center Jessica Davenport, the media’s pick for 2004 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, was named a member of both the media and the coaches’ preseason all-conference teams. Davenport averaged 12.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots per game in her rookie campaign.
OHIO GAME TIME CHANGED
The Ohio State women’s basketball game vs. Ohio Dec. 1 has been moved to a 9 p.m. tip-off at The Convo in Athens, Ohio. The contest, which was originally slated for a 7 p.m. start time, will be aired on FSN Ohio and brings the total number of televised Ohio State games to seven this season, with the possibility of two additional wildcard games that will be determined later in the season.
SEASON PREVIEW
The 2004-05 season marks the 40th year of Ohio State women’s basketball. The Buckeyes started the celebration on the right foot by garnering preseason projections of a No. 13 ranking by Lindy’s and a No. 8 spot on Athlon’s preseason poll.
In his third year at the helm of the Buckeye program, Jim Foster will rely on a group of nine returning letterwinners, six of which have two-consecutive NCAA trips under their belts, to lead four decorated newcomers and continue the rich tradition of OSU women’s basketball.
With three All-Big Ten players in Jessica Davenport, Brandie Hoskins and Caity Matter, including the media’s pick for the conference’s freshman of the year in Davenport, a Big Ten championship and a national title are the goals for Foster’s third Buckeye team.
MATTER TOP 5 OFF-GUARD
Senior Caity Matter has been listed as one of the Top 5 off-guards in the country by ESPN.com.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/news/story?id=1917960
Matter, a second team All-Big Ten selection by the media and coaches last season, was the team’s leading scorer last year with 14.8 points per contest.
Matter ranks in the Top 5 among Ohio State records for 3-point percentage, 3-point field goals made and 3-point field goals attempted.
THE LINEUP
Foster can count on four returning starters – Jessica Davenport, Brandie Hoskins, Caity Matter and Kim Wilburn – and five key reserves – Ashley Allen, Stephanie Blanton, Candace Dark, Beth Howe and Michelle Muñoz – to bring experience and depth to a Buckeye squad that finished third in the Big Ten last year. Junior transfer Tia Battle and freshmen Alice Jamen, Marscilla Packer and Tamarah Riley are expected to contribute immediately, while Debbie Merrill, a 2003 Honorable Mention All-American transfer from Cincinnati, will aid the squad in practices while she fulfills her one year residence transfer requirement.
UNDERNEATH THE BUCKET
Jessica Davenport, a sophomore who led the Big Ten with a .625 field-goal percentage and averaged 12.5 points and 5.7 caroms per game, will have to lead the Buckeyes under the bucket. With the loss of LaToya Turner, a third team All-Big Ten selection who averaged 12.4 points an outing and led the team with 6.6 boards per game, Davenport will be the most experienced player in the paint. The league’s blocked shots leader (2.58 per game), Davenport set the Ohio State season record for blocked shots with 80 total swats as a freshman. A true center, Davenport is not limited to playing under the bucket and can be a threat throughout the entire lane.
Forward Michelle Muñoz, a junior transfer from the University of Tennessee, averaged 5.1 points per game and 2.7 rebounds per game last season for OSU. Unfortunately, she was injured in a practice prior to the Feb. 8 Purdue game and did not return to the hardwood until the NCAA tournament games. Muñoz’ versatility is most apparent in her combination of size and strength and her outside shooting touch, which results in her ability to play inside and be a threat on the outside.
Aiding Davenport and Muñoz down low is sophomore Stephanie Blanton. Blanton averaged 3.2 point and 2.5 rebounds per game in her first year under Foster. She saw playing time in 30 games and averaged 12.2 minutes per game. Blanton will be able to add knowledge from her first season at Ohio State and will most likely see valuable playing time.
Alice Jamen and Tamarah Riley will both be relied upon to help fill the gap in the lane as a result of Turner’s absence. Jamen left her hometown of Yaoundé, Cameroon, to attend high school at the Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy in Wheeling, W. Va. Jamen, who was a 2004 McDonald’s All-American Nominee, will provide speed and coordination in the post.
Riley, a finalist for the 2003 Miss Basketball Award by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan, will be another fresh face in the paint for Foster’s squad. A 2004 McDonald’s All-American Nominee, Riley’s high school teams only lost four games in her four years and made it to the final four every year, with runner-up finishes twice. Riley will be able to contribute at both the high and low post positions.
GUARDS GALORE
The guard spot is stacked for Foster’s Buckeyes and most notable is the return of fifth-year senior Caity Matter. Matter, a second team All-Big Ten selection by the media and coaches last season, was the team’s leading scorer last season with 14.8 points per contest. She improved her all-around game by averaging nearly four rebounds per contest, posting her first career double-double at Michigan (15 points, 10 boards) and leading the team with a .772 average from the charity stripe. Matter continues to climb the record books at Ohio State and put herself at the top of the single-game list for 3-pointers made with eight shots drained from beyond the 3-point line vs. IUPUI Dec. 1.
Sophomore Brandie Hoskins, who was named to the All-Big Ten rookie team last year, is another returning guard for OSU. Hoskins, who provides an incredibly quick first step to the basket and the ability to score, added 9.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game last year. The most valuable player of the 2004 Wonder/Hostess Buckeye Classic, Hoskins ranked No. 3 among league leaders with a 2.63 assist-to-turnover ratio and No. 6 for assists (4.10 per game) last season.
Kim Wilburn is a junior with two years experience under the leadership of Foster. She will be a consistent spark on transition play, a defensive threat and a knowledgeable guard. The Big Ten’s leader for steals per game (2.94) for the second consecutive year, Wilburn averaged a team-high 32.8 minutes per outing and netted 6.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
Beth Howe is a veteran senior leader who contributed in major games last year for the Buckeyes. Howe upped her minutes from 6.1 as a sophomore to over 10 minutes per contest last season. She showed poise and control in pressure situations, such as her 10-point performance off a 5-of-6 stroke from the field in the semifinals of the 2004 Big Ten Tournament vs. eventual champion Purdue. Look for Howe to continue to up her playing time during her senior year.
Another guard Foster will rely on is Candace Dark, a junior who saw her minutes increase from 3.3 a game her rookie campaign to 11.6 per outing last year. Dark contributed 3.3 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. She aided the Buckeyes in a 73-59 victory at No. 21/23 UC Santa Barbara last year. Her career-high 12-point effort off a 4-of-7 afternoon from the field helped Ohio State snap UCSB’s 27-game home winning streak – a mark that ranked No. 2 in the country.
The final guard returning to Foster’s roster is Ashley Allen, a senior shooting guard who has missed portions of the previous two seasons because of injury. Allen was absent the final seven games of the 2002-03 season when she suffered a knee injury at Illinois Feb. 19. Allen returned to action in the UNC Wilmington contest, during which she hit all four shots she attempted from the 3-point arc and scored 15 points. Allen was bit by the injury bug once again during her sixth game last year when she was injured on a fast-break in the St. John’s game Dec. 21. She missed the remainder of the year.
Tia Battle, a transfer from Vanderbilt who is listed as a guard and a forward, fulfilled her one-year NCAA residence requirement last year and will anxiously return to the court this season. Battle, who competed for one season under Foster when he was at Vanderbilt, averaged 5.5 points and 2.3 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per game during her two seasons playing for the Commodores.
In her first year wearing Scarlet and Gray, Marscilla Packer, a freshman from Pickerington, Ohio, will add even more depth at the guard position for Foster. Packer, a 2004 McDonald’s and WBCA All-American, will be utilized for her quickness and shooting ability at the guard spot. The 2004 Dispatch/Agonis Club Co-Player of the Year and the AP Division I Tri-Player of the Year, Packer averaged 22.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.3 steals as a senior with a 49 percent average from the field, a 46 percent mark from 3-point land and a 79 percent average from the free-throw line.
USING THE SUMMER
While most of the women’s basketball team spent time lifting weights, conditioning and playing in the summer leagues in Columbus, one player gained experience of another sort. Jessica Davenport was a member of the 2004 Big Ten Basketball Foreign Tour Team and scored double-digits in all four contests abroad. She averaged 15.0 points and 6.8 boards per outing as a member of the undefeated 12-player roster under the direction of Indiana’s Kathi Bennett. Bennett’s team went 4-0 in Australia during the 11-day trip.
2004-05 SLATE
After the exhibition game vs. the Australian Institute of Sport Nov. 10, two tournaments begin the 2004-05 campaign for a Buckeye squad that is returning four starters. Ohio State will be part of the 2004 Preseason WNIT Nov. 12-21 and will play host to the 2004 Wonder/Hostess Buckeye Classic Thanksgiving weekend. The Buckeyes’ first round of the Preseason WNIT will be vs. Bowling Green Nov. 12 in Value City Arena. If the Buckeyes win, round two will be vs. either Boston University or St. Joseph’s in St. John Arena Nov. 14. Semifinal games and the championship contest will take place on campus sites to be determined Nov. 17 and either Nov. 20 or 21, respectively.
The 2004 Wonder/Hostess Buckeye Classic will be revived for the second-consecutive year after an eight-season absence from the OSU schedule. It is scheduled to take place in St. John Arena before the Buckeyes take to the road for five of the seven games in December. In the tournament, Bradley will play Detroit in game one and Ohio State will face Yale in game two Nov. 27. The consolation and championship contests will take place Nov. 28 in St. John Arena.
A road trip to Ohio University Dec. 1 precedes a day trip to Dayton Dec. 4. Ohio State returns to action when it plays host to Big 12 opponent Nebraska Dec. 11. The Buckeyes play Penn Dec. 13 and in the Nike Classic at Oregon Dec. 18. UCLA and Ohio State play Dec. 21 in Value City Arena and the Buckeyes open Big Ten play at Penn State Dec. 30. After the New Year, OSU begins the home portion of the Big Ten Conference schedule vs. Purdue Jan. 2 and vs. Michigan State Jan. 6.
There will be two breaks for Ohio State from Big Ten play. The first will be when Ohio State plays host to Liberty, a 2004 NCAA participant, Jan. 9 in Value City Arena. The second is a rematch of the 2003 Big Ten/Big East Challenge game vs. Rutgers Jan. 16. The Rutgers game will be broadcast on ESPN2. Ohio State will resume conference competition and the final regular-season game will be a battle with defending Big Ten regular-season champion Penn State Feb. 27 in Value City Arena.
Postseason play will begin with the annual Big Ten tournament, which takes place March 3-7 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
2003-04 QUICK RECAP
The Ohio State women’s basketball team was 21-10 overall with a third-place finish and an 11-5 mark in the Big Ten. Under second-year head coach Jim Foster, the Buckeyes were the nation’s top-shooting squad with a .510 (800-1570) average, won 11 of their final 14 games, tallied a second straight 20-plus win season and made it to the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year. Ohio State, which ended the season ranked No. 21 in the final Associated Press poll, upset five Top 25 teams and put together a string of seven consecutive victories in February and March.
Individually, junior Caity Matter and senior LaToya Turner each became members of the 1,000-point club. Matter, who was the Big Ten Player of the Week once during the season, was named to both the media and coaches’ all-league second teams. Turner found herself on the media’s third team and the coaches’ honorable mention squad. Freshman Jessica Davenport was the media’s pick for the 2004 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Davenport was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by the media and joined Turner on the coaches’ honorable mention team. Classmates Brandie Hoskins and Davenport were both named to the coaches’ all-freshman team.
Some key events from the season include: Matter draining eight treys vs. IUPUI Dec. 1 to set a new school record; Kim Wilburn setting the mark for assists by a Buckeye sophomore with a team-best 156 for the season; Hoskins being named the most valuable player of the 2004 Wonder/Hostess Buckeye Classic; Wilburn leading the conference with 2.94 steals per game; Davenport’s No. 1 ranking among conference leaders for blocked shots (2.58 per game) and shooting percentage (.622; 150-of-241); Ohio State setting the record for team field-goal percentage with a .720 (36-of-50) mark vs. Wright State Dec. 18; Davenport earning the top spot among season blocks leaders at Ohio State with 80. Her performance was only the second time in Buckeye history a player had tallied 50 or more rejections in one season; and Davenport’s perfect 10-of-10 performance, which was an NCAA first and second round and Ohio State single-game record, in NCAA opening-game action vs. West Virginia March 20 at St. John Arena.
BACK-TO-BACK DANCES
Ohio State made its 13th overall and second-consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament during the 2003-04 season. The Buckeyes went 1-1 last year and as a program are 15-13 in NCAA tournament contests and 2-2 under second-year head coach Jim Foster. Prior to Foster’s appointment, Ohio State had not made an NCAA appearance since 1999. Until the 2003-04 year, the Buckeye program had not made consecutive appearances in the tournament since it had six straight back-to-back appearances from 1984-89. Additionally, Foster became the second head coach in Ohio State history to take Buckeye teams to consecutive NCAA tournaments in the first two seasons since Nancy Darsch “danced” in 1986 and 1987 after being hired prior to the 1985-86 season.
20 WINS BECOMING OLD HABIT
Last year, Ohio State (21-10) earned its 16th overall 20-win season. The Buckeyes’ 21 victories were the second-consecutive 20-plus win season in as many years under head coach Jim Foster and the third in the last four years for Ohio State. Foster’s teams have notched 20 or more wins 18 times, including the last six years in a row, during his 26 years of collegiate coaching.
A SECOND HOME IN ST. JOHN ARENA
During 2002-03, the Buckeyes played two games in St. John Arena and the tradition continued last season. In 2003-04, Ohio State competed in two regular-season contests and played host to the 2004 NCAA Women’s Basketball Mideast Region First and Second Round Games in historic St. John Arena. Under Jim Foster, the Buckeyes are 5-1 in St. John Arena. The 2004 Buckeye Classic games will be played this season in St. John Arena Nov. 27-28. Additionally, if the Buckeyes beat Bowling Green Friday, the next WNIT game will be at 2 p.m. Nov. 14 in St. John Arena vs. the winner of the Boston University/Saint Joseph’s game.
NATION’S BEST SHOOTING SQUAD
The Buckeyes’ .510 (800-1570) overall stroke was the No. 1 average in the country during 2003-04. The accuracy was credited in part to freshman Jessica Davenport, who was the Big Ten’s leader in all games with a .622 stroke from the field. Davenport would have been ranked No. 2 in the country, but the minimum requirement is 5.0 field goals made per game and Davenport averaged 4.8 makes per outing. Veteran LaToya Turner added to the effort with a .571 shooting stroke, which ranked No. 3 in the Big Ten and No. 13 in the nation. Rookie Brandie Hoskins was No. 9 in the league with a .524 stroke.
THIRD THE BEST SINCE 1992-93
Ohio State’s third-place finish last year in the Big Ten was the best for a Buckeye squad since the team tied for first in 1992-93. The Buckeyes were tied for fourth under first-year head coach Jim Foster during 2002-03.
CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR
Other than a 15-point loss to UCLA in December, the remaining eight Ohio State losses in the regular season were within 10 points and four of them were within a margin of five (at Nebraska, 60-55, at Rutgers, 56-53, at Illinois, 52-51, and at Purdue, 57-54). In those eight games lost, the Buckeyes were outscored by 38 points combined, an average of 4.8 points per game.
The 51-49 win at Michigan Jan. 29 was a big step for the Buckeyes, who had struggled on the road with a 3-4 mark outside of Columbus up until that game. The victory over the Wolverines also was the first win of 2003-04 when the margin was less than five points. Jim Foster’s squad had dropped four games that were all decided by five or fewer points earlier in the season. Additionally, the Buckeyes’ road win in Ann Arbor was the first win in six games when scoring 59 points or less. After the Michigan contest, Ohio State won three games when scoring 59 points or less and notched a postseason win over Minnesota, 58-50, in the Big Ten tournament.
FEW FOULS
Ohio State led the nation last year when it came to fewest fouls per game. The Buckeyes averaged 11.9 fouls per game and only had one player foul out in 31 games.
FINDING COMFORT OUTSIDE COLUMBUS
Ohio State, who struggled in 2002-03 on the road with a 4-7 mark away from Columbus under then-first-year head coach Jim Foster, turned that trend around last season. The Buckeyes accumulated an overall 7-5 mark away last year and won six of the final seven regular-season road contests, including two over Top 15 opponents (No. 15/17 Michigan State Feb. 15 and No. 12/12 Minnesota Feb. 26). The Buckeyes were 1-1 at neutral sites in 2003-04.
WILBURN’S ASSISTS A SOPHOMORE RECORD
Sophomore Kim Wilburn, who set the record for assists and for steals by a Buckeye freshman in 2002-03 with 168 dishes and 92 steals, tallied five assists at No. 15/17 Michigan State Feb. 15 and became Ohio State’s sophomore assists record holder. Wilburn had 156 total assists last season and beat Jamie Lewis’ record of 122, which was set in the 1998-99 season. For her career, Wilburn’s 324 total assists is No. 6 on the all-time Buckeyes record holders list.
BIG TEN BANDIT
Sophomore Kim Wilburn ended the season at No. 1 in the Big Ten with 2.94 steals per game. Wilburn’s 2.9 assists per game was No. 29 among national leaders and her 183 career swipes was No. 7 among Buckeye leaders.
SMITH’S SECOND GOLD
Katie Smith, a student assistant in the Ohio State women’s basketball office and a former two-time All-American at OSU, was one of the first seven members named to the 2004 USA Basketball Women’s Senior National Team. Smith represented the U.S. at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and despite suffering an injury in Athens, aided her team in capturing a gold medal – the second overall for Smith. 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 and plans to return to the WNBA in 2005 once she recovers.
