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Ohio State defense shuts down UW women

MADISON — Coach Jim Foster is well aware his Ohio State women’s basketball team has weapons on offense, but he doesn’t want people to forget the Buckeyes also are tough on the defensive end.

Jantel Lavender had 16 points and 15 rebounds as No. 16 Ohio State defeated Wisconsin, 55-42, here Thursday night.

It was the seventh straight win for the Buckeyes (13-2, 4-0 Big Ten), who took sole possession of first place in the Big Ten with Indiana’s 70-62 road loss to Minnesota.

The Buckeyes held Wisconsin (12-4, 2-3) to its third-lowest point total of the season, as the Badgers shot 25.5 percent (13-of-51) from the field in their second straight loss.

Foster was pleased with the Buckeyes’ defensive pressure late in the game, when the Badgers missed their final 10 shots.

Ohio State also held Wisconsin’s leading scoring Alyssa Karel to five points on 1-for-11 shooting. The sophomore guard came into the game averaging 14.3 points.

At the same time, Wisconsin held the Buckeyes to their lowest point total of the season, 17 points below their average.

Foster said it shows both teams have talented defenses.

“This is a very good defensive basketball team with Wisconsin,” he said. “I think people fail to include us in the category of good defensive teams or even in the conversation. I think we’re a pretty good defensive team.

“When you’re going to be in a game like that where every possession is going to be a war on offense, you’ve got to make the same situation available to them.”

Lavender, the Big Ten scoring leader who came into the game averaging 22.1 points per game, has scored in double figures in all 46 games of her collegiate career at Ohio State.

The Buckeyes shot 33 percent (10-of-30) from the field in the first half, but opened the second half with a 7-0 run to gain control.

The Badgers pulled within five points at 45-40 on a basket by Teah Gant with 5:29 left before Ohio State closed the game with a 10-2 run, thanks largely to making 8-of-8 free throws and Wisconsin’s failure to hit another field-goal attempt.

Jefferson High graduate Lin Zastrow scored 11 points for the Badgers (12-4, 2-3), who missed their first six shots during a four-minute scoring drought at the start of the second half.

Senior guards Star Allen and Ashlee Trebilcock scored 11 points each for the Buckeyes, who have won 13 straight meetings against the Badgers.

Allen had 12 rebounds, as Ohio State outrebounded Wisconsin 46-30.

The Buckeyes held Wisconsin (12-4, 2-3) to its third-lowest point total of the season, as the Badgers shot 25.5 percent (13-of-51) from the field.

Wisconsin coach Lisa Stone said the cold shooting led to the Badgers’ demise.

“It was a tough shooting night,” Stone said. “We had some good looks, It just did not go down. The first half, I believe the scoreboard read 11 for nearly half an hour, it felt like. We just could not get the ball to drop.”