Buckeyes thwart IU’s tourney hopes

A storybook ending just wasn’t in the cards.\nPlaying the night after a convincing victory over Iowa in the Big Ten tournament, the IU women’s basketball team fell to Ohio State 72-60 Friday night.\nLed by center Jessica Davenport, the Big Ten’s three-time player of the year, the Buckeyes (27-2, 15-1) controlled the pace of the game and had little trouble executing on offense against the Hoosiers (18-13, 6-10). \n“It was a great game,” IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. “Our kids just wouldn’t go away. We continued to fight and we continued to lead and at the end we just ran out of gas.”\nWith Davenport as the Buckeye’s main threat in the low post, her ability to spread the ball around to her teammates created more offense for her team than the statistics give her credit for. The senior center scored 30 points – 14 of which came from the free-throw line – and added eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks. \n“Jessica is a very, very tough player, and when I play against her, it just makes me better,” said IU senior center Sarah McKay. \nMcKay and sophomore forward Whitney Thomas drew the task of having to guard a dominant Davenport. In the opening minutes, the IU duo found success in double-teaming Davenport, and Thomas ended the game with 10 rebounds, including five on the offensive end.\n“I just think that’s one of the kids that doesn’t get any respect,” Legette-Jack said of Thomas. “I just don’t get it. I just don’t get her heart. The fight in that kid’s heart is really contagious, and we’re going to be better because of her.”\nThroughout the night, the Hoosiers struggled on the offensive end as IU’s shots refused to fall. After shooting 44 percent from the field the night before against Iowa, the Hoosiers regressed in the category and only managed to shoot 33 percent from the field. \nStill, for the first 15 minutes of the first half, a scrappy Hoosier defense matched Ohio State on every possession. After the Buckeyes took a quick 6-0 lead, IU stepped up its defense and put pressure on every Buckeye possession. Two consecutive 3-pointers from freshman guard Shanice Billington and sophomore forward Kim Roberson tied the game at 6-6.\nThough the Buckeyes played strong defense and forced several shot clock violations, the Hoosiers eventually took its first and only lead of the game at 18-17 on a layup from Thomas. Ohio State hit a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to end the short-lived IU lead. The bucket sparked an 11-4 Buckeye run over the final few minute of the first half to give Ohio State a comfortable lead going into the break.\nFollowing the break, the Ohio State offense kept on rolling. The Buckeyes scored the first 10 points of the second half to take an 18-point advantage, while the Hoosiers missed their first seven shots on the other end.\n“Today’s game, it’s just a series of mini-games,” Ohio State coach Jim Foster said. “They had some runs and then we answered their runs.” \nBut during the next 10 minutes the Hoosiers eventually clawed their way back into the game. What was once an 18-point lead by the Buckeyes became a six-point lead with five minutes to go, after several IU steals helped the Hoosiers get back in it. With McKay on the bench with four fouls, and with Thomas picking up her fourth foul, Ohio State extended their lead once again.\nAn Ohio State foul sent Roberson to the line for a one-and-one. After missing the front end, the Buckeyes came right back with a jump shot from forward Star Allen, ending the IU threat. The Buckeyes extended their lead to 12 before the final seconds of the Hoosiers tournament life ticked away.\nWith the Big Ten tournament over, and an NCAA tournament bid unlikely, the Hoosiers will wait to hear if they will gain a bit to the WNIT tournament, with announcements expected March 12.