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NO. 18 OHIO STATE PULLS AWAY LATE FROM NO. 20 LSU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, 77-68
COLUMBUS,
Ohio -- Big Ten Conference Preseason Co-Player of the Year Samantha
Prahalis scored a game-high 28 points and buried six threes as No. 18
Ohio State held off a valiant effort from the 20th-ranked LSU women’s
basketball team by a score of 77-68 on Sunday evening in Value City
Arena.
The Lady Tigers (3-3) dropped their second straight
game and fourth consecutive contest versus a Big 10 opponent dating
back to last season. Ohio State (5-0) remained unbeaten but faced a
tough challenge from LSU after outscoring its first four opponents by a
margin of 25.3 points.
Prahalis finished 9-of-19 from the floor,
including 6-of-9 from three-point range. Tayler Hill added 23 points
and buried a perfect 12-of-12 from the free throw line. The two
combined for 51 of the Buckeyes’ 77 points.
“Ohio State did an
exceptional job of running their offense through Prahalis and Hill,”
said LSU head coach Nikki Caldwell. “Defensively, we missed some
assignments and they made us pay for it. When you are on the road, you
have to bring defensive pressure and be ready to meet that challenge.
In that last four minutes of the game, we have to be efficient. We
can’t give teams wide open looks. You have to make it difficult for
people.”
LSU was led by sophomore Adrienne Webb and freshman
Krystal Forthan, both who responded with their best offensive games of
the year. Webb and Forthan had 15 points apiece. Senior forward
Courtney Jones tied a career-high with 12 rebounds and tallied eight
points.
LSU trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half
but rallied to pull within two 32-30 at halftime. Destini Hughes tied
the game at 48 with 10:03 to go in the second half, but Prahalis would
score eight of Ohio State’s next 10 points. Her back-to-back threes put
the Lady Tigers in a six-point hole, 58-52, with 7:53 left in the game.
LSU got within three points under the four-minute mark. Forthan
had five straight points and nailed a three from the right wing. Jeanne
Kenney then converted a lay-up off a steal from LaSondra Barrett. The
Lady Tigers trailed 68-65 with 3:43 left in the game.
Ohio
State out-scored LSU 9-3 the rest of the way. Hill’s 28-foot three from
the left side of the court with the shot clock winding down was the
back breaker. The Buckeyes then iced the game at the line going 6-of-6
in the final 40 seconds.
Ohio State shot 48.1 percent for the
game, while LSU finished at 41.2 percent from the floor. The Buckeyes
capitalized at the free throw line, finishing 20-of-23 to LSU’s
10-of-17. The Lady Tigers did however outscore Ohio State on
second-chance points, 17-5.
LSU breaks for academic finals and returns to action on Dec. 11 against Alabama State at 7 p.m. in the Maravich Center.
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