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Top women's player heading to Ohio State
By the Associated Press
Ashlee Trebilcock, one of the nation's top recruits a year ago, has enrolled at Ohio State after transferring from UCLA. Ohio State coach Jim Foster confirmed on Saturday that Trebilcock was practicing with the Buckeyes.
The 5-foot-9 Boise, Idaho, native spent her high school career in California. She played in four games for UCLA this season, averaging 3 points in 17 minutes per game. She will be eligible to begin playing for OSU in games in mid-December of the 2006-2007 season.
Ohio State 62
TSUN 34
Buckeyes whip Michigan, 62-34
Monday, January 16, 2006
[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]THE ASSOCIATED PRESS[/FONT]
COLUMBUS - Ohio State needed a strong second half to dispense with a young Michigan team.
The No. 8 Buckeyes shot 55 percent in the second half en route to a 62-34 win Sunday over the Wolverines. Jessica Davenport and Marscilla Packer each scored 15 points for Ohio State, winners of four straight and seven of eight.
Trailing by 7 at halftime, Ohio State (13-2, 4-1 Big Ten) used a 19-5 run in the first 8 minutes of the second half to take control. Brandie Hoskins had 9 of her 11 points during the run, giving OSU a 42-21 lead.
Katie Dierdorf had 10 points for Michigan (6-11, 0-5), which missed its first 13 shots and finished with 14 field goals for the game.
“We didn’t always take the open shots,” Michigan Coach Cheryl Burnett said. “We made things harder than they had to be. Then when Ohio State got it going in the second half, that was the ball game.”
Despite Michigan’s poor shooting, the Wolverines held a 14-9 lead before Ohio State went on a 14-2 run with 6:51 left to take a 23-16 lead at the break.
“Michigan had a week off and is a young team that played very well,” Ohio State Coach Jim Foster said. “We had to adjust as a veteran team.”
Debbie Merrill added 10 points for Ohio State, which shot 24-of-49 from the floor (49 percent). Merrill said the first few minutes of the game were frustrating.
“It felt like we couldn’t get the flow offensively,” she said. “After the first half we huddled and just said we need to box out and play hard.”
MICHIGAN (6-11): Jones 2-7 0-0 4, Benson 0-5 0-0 0, Cooper 0-6 2-2 2, Dierdorf 5-14 0-0 10, Minnfield 1-7 0-0 2, Skrba 4-7 1-1 9, Clement 1-3 1-2 3, Walker 1-7 2-2 4, Queen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-56 6-7 34. OHIO ST. (13-2): Hoskins 4-11 3-4 11, Merrill 5-10 0-0 10, Davenport 5-7 5-6 15, Packer 6-9 0-0 15, A.Allen 0-1 0-2 0, Wilburn 1-1 0-0 2, Battle 0-3 0-0 0, Dark 0-0 0-0 0, Jamen 1-2 0-0 2, Blanton 1-2 0-0 2, Riley 0-1 2-2 2, S.Allen 1-2 1-2 3. Totals 24-49 11-16 62. Halftime—Ohio State 23-16. 3-point goals—Michigan 0-12 (Skrba 0-1, Clement 0-2, Cooper 0-2, Minnfield 0-2, Walker 0-2, Benson 0-3), Ohio St. 3-7 (Packer 3-5, Merrill 0-1, A.Allen 0-1). Fouled out—None. Rebounds—Michigan 29 (Skrba 7), Ohio St. 38 (Davenport 9). Assists—Michigan 7 (Minnfield 4), Ohio St. 15 (Wilburn 4). Total fouls—Michigan 17, Ohio St. 10. A—7,180.
Buckeyes focusing on faster starts
Recent trend could be troublesome against dangerous Hoosiers
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Jim Massie
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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The numbers look good enough.
Ohio State enters its game tonight against Indiana tied for second place in the Big Ten, a game behind Purdue. The seventh-ranked Buckeyes (13-2, 4-1) have won four in a row and seven of eight.
They squeezed the air out of the Michigan offense Sunday while limiting the Wolverines to 34 points and would like to replay the python role against the Hoosiers (9-7, 3-2) in Value City Arena.
Yet there was something about Sunday’s win that didn’t satisfy the Buckeyes. They left the gate slowly for a third time in five conference games and fell behind. If that happens again, catching up could be more of a problem against an Indiana team that features three seasoned seniors in Jenny DeMuth, Cyndi Valentin and Angela Hawkins.
"We’ve been starting off slow," OSU junior guard Brandie Hoskins said. "We had that problem last year, too. Sometimes we wait for the game to come to us. We need to come out and take over and be aggressive from the beginning.
"We can’t come out against really good teams like that. (Indiana) is good. They’re real scrappy and can play. We’ve got to pick it up."
The Hoosiers took then-No. 14 Purdue to overtime before falling 61-56 on Jan. 5 and followed with a 69-64 loss to then-No. 15 Minnesota. First-year Indiana coach Sharon Versyp is preaching postseason to her players, and a win over a ranked team would be a giant step toward that goal.
"We’re getting close," Versyp said. "But close isn’t good enough right now in the Big Ten, because there is so much parity. This senior group is tired of getting close. They want to do something special this year."
Versyp knows that OSU’s offense runs through junior center Jessica Davenport, the reigning Big Ten player of the year. Michigan threw doubleand triple-team defensive sets at Davenport and forced the Buckeyes into five quick turnovers.
OSU coach Jim Foster says the team is starting to recognize what needs to happen when a team blankets Davenport.
"It’s more other people trying to get a better shot," he said. "Sometimes we put Jess in those situations when other people are open for something that is good for them. (We) sometimes start the game with the mentality that that’s a better shot than the one I have.
"In theory it is, but not when there are three people on her. That’s the kind of thing that is just starting to click in with some. We’ve played 15 games and that has happened three times — Northwestern, yes, Michigan, yes, and probably Purdue. So rather than the other team, it’s more about us."
Recently, Davenport and senior forward Debbie Merrill have begun to switch in high-low offensive sets, with Davenport more often on the outside.
"There are other places where (Davenport) can score," Foster said. "Don’t think that (inside) is the only place she can score. The Iowa game would be the prime example. Jess had a lot of assists from the high post and Debbie established herself on the low block. We’re growing into that, and that’s fine. We’re growing into a lot of things."
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Thursday, January 19, 2006
Merrill Leads Ohio State Past Indiana
By RUSTY MILLER
AP Sports Writer
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Indiana did its best to slow down All-American Jessica Davenport. Trouble was, Ohio State had enough other players to do the job.
Debbie Merrill had nine points and 10 rebounds and patrolled the inside on defense to lead No. 7 Ohio State to a 60-50 victory over Indiana on Thursday night.
(enlarge photo)
Ohio State' Jessica Davenport (50) is pressured by Indiana's Whitney Thomas, left, and teammate Angela Hawkins, right, as she grabs a rebound during the first half of NCAA college basketball action, Thursday, Jan 19, 2006, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Terry Gilliam)
Brandie Hoskins scored 12 points and Marscilla Packer had 11 for the Buckeyes (14-2, 5-1 Big Ten), who won their fifth straight and eighth in last nine games.
"We knew coming in here that the focus would be on trying to take Davenport out of the game and taking Packer out of the game," Indiana coach Sharon Versyp said. "That presents opportunities for everybody else to step up and that's what happened."
Merrill also had four blocked shots and three assists in an all-around effort that stood out in a defensive struggle. She set the tone on the court by hitting a bucket and blocking three shots as the Buckeyes went on an 8-2 run late in the first half to take control.
"Coach pulled me to the sideline and said I needed to score and I needed to lead the defense," said Merrill, a transfer from Cincinnati. "I had to give a burst of energy to my team."
It was an off night offensively and defensively for Davenport, the reigning player of the week in the conference. She sat out long stretches of the second half, although she finished with 10 points and nine rebounds. Just a week earlier, she had 34 points, 16 rebounds, a personal-best six assists and three blocked shots in a 72-62 win at Iowa.
"They really packed it in," Davenport said of the Hoosiers' defense. "I didn't do a good job of moving around the defense."
Cyndi Valentin scored 18 points and Whitney Thomas had 12 points and 13 rebounds for Indiana (9-8, 3-3), which won its last two conference road games.
The Hoosiers have not beaten a ranked opponent since upsetting No. 7 Purdue 55-41 in the 2002 Big Ten tournament.
The Buckeyes matched their season average on defense. They came in ranked second in the nation in points allowed per game at 50.3.
With Indiana players jamming the paint on defense, they were forced to shoot outside. They hit 6-of-13 3-pointers to help open things up.
"I don't think I remember a bad 3-point shot," Ohio State coach Jim Foster said. "We would like to run, but they packed it in and took away the inside. We did a very good job on 3-pointers."
In an up-and-down first half, Ohio State broke out to a 7-0 lead before missing seven shots in a row as Indiana used a 10-0 run to take a 14-12 lead. The Buckeyes then recovered to permit the Hoosiers only one field goal over the final 5 1/2 minutes of the half to take a 29-20 lead.
Despite the three quick baskets to open the game, the Buckeyes didn't play well in the first half for the fourth time in their six conference games.
Merrill dominated inside in the final minutes of the half as Ohio State scored eight of the final 10 points. During that span, she blocked three consecutive shots by the Hoosiers.
"Merrill is just one of those workhorses — she does everything," Versyp said. "She's a role player, but sometimes that's what you fear the most. When she got the ball down low, she beat us one on one. She did a good job on defense. She did a heck of a job."
Indiana never got closer than six points in the second half.
The Hoosiers trailed 44-37 on Valentin's fast-break layup with 8 minutes left but the Buckeyes built the lead back to 53-41 on a baseline drive by Hoskins and a three-point play by Packer with 4:41 left.
Kim Wilburn had a steal early in the second half to set the Ohio State career mark with her 327th steal.
"We won the game because when it came down to it, we executed our offense, everybody took good shots and we had some good (defensive) stops," Wilburn said.
OSU, MSU right back at it
Rivalry kicked up a notch last season in Spartans’ win
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Jim Massie
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
The Breslin Center fairly percolated with the energy of 14,066 fans and two elite Big Ten teams with their eyes on the same prize.
The collision between Ohio State and Michigan State last February in East Lansing, Mich., ultimately came down to a pair of made free throws with six seconds remaining and a missed shot at the buzzer.
The Spartans won 66-64 despite a triple-double from Jessica Davenport, who had 19 points, 13 rebounds and 12 blocked shots for the Buckeyes. The two teams would wind up tied for the regular-season Big Ten title and locked in a rivalry that has spilled into this season.
Eleven months later, the rematch occurs at 1 p.m. today and the returning OSU players haven’t forgotten the excitement generated by the record crowd or the disappointment caused by the outcome.
"The Michigan State fans came out and supported them," Davenport said. "It was really energetic. They fed off their crowd and I think we fed off them, too. When they started cheering and getting loud, we knew that we had to make a defensive stop. That’s the type of the thing that you have to take on the road. When their crowd draws a lot of energy, you have to feed off it also. Emotionally, it was great. But we wanted to win that game so bad."
The stakes are big again for both teams. The seventh-ranked Buckeyes (14-2, 5-1) are tied for second in the Big Ten behind Purdue. The 12 th-ranked Spartans (14-5, 4-2) suffered two conference road losses last week and can’t afford to lose much more ground if they hope to defend their championship.
OSU junior guard Brandie Hoskins knows that even as she sorts through her own special reason for remembering the last meeting.
"I missed the shot at the end of the game," she said. "I thought it was going in. I remember thinking I lost it for us. So, of course, I remember it. But Michigan State is a great team."
The Spartans are led by All-Big Ten seniors Liz Shimek and Lindsay Bowen. Shimek played with Davenport and Hoskins last summer on the U.S. team that won the gold medal in the World University Games.
"Liz is a great player," Hoskins said. "She can shoot a real good jump shot. She’s strong. Bowen is great point guard. She can knock down shots. They very rarely make mistakes. When they do, you have to take advantage of them. I know they need to get prepared for us, too, just like we have to get prepared for them."
The Buckeyes continue to lead the conference in scoring defense at 50.3 points per game. At the same time, OSU coach Jim Foster continues to try to knock more of the rough edges off the offense. While teams have been focusing on stopping Davenport, Marscilla Packer and Debbie Merrill have joined Hoskins in providing more points.
"Everyone looks at Jess," Foster said. "But we’re 9-0 when we have three scorers in double figures. So it’s not so much about Jess. Now that we have four people in double figures, we’ll grow from there.
"I think everybody is waiting for one player. I don’t think that is the way it’s going to be. You’re an easier team to beat when it’s all about one player. We want to win more games later in the season. We’re trying to do some stuff now to become more versatile."
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Sunday, January 22, 2006