Jan. 22, 2009

Box Score

COLUMBUS, Ohio. - Junior center Jenna Smith had 19 points for the Fighting Illini, but it wasn't enough to knock-off 19th-ranked Ohio State Thursday night as the Buckeyes pulled away late for a 68-51 victory at Value City Arena. Illinois trialed by nine at the half and were within eight late in the game, but OSU's inside combo of Jantel Lavender and Star Allen proved to be too much for the young Illini.

Illinois (4-16, 0-9) hung tough early, leading 8-6 in the opening minutes and trailing by just three, 18-15, midway through the first half, but an 8-0 run by the Buckeyes gave them a 26-15 cushion with seven minutes left and they led by nine at the half, 36-27. Lavender, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year, had a dominating first half, scoring 18 points and grabbing eight rebounds, while Smith led the Orange and Blue with eight points at the break.

Ohio State (15-3, 6-1) pulled out to a 15-point lead early in the second half behind six quick points from Lavender, who finished with a game-high 30 points on 15-of-24 shooting. The Illini battled back to within eight, 55-47, with just over five minutes to play after Smith's third old fashioned three-point play of the night, but OSU responded with seven straight points to push the lead back to 15 and cruised in the final minutes for the 68-51 victory.

"When we cut it to eight with six minutes left, I smelled blood in the water," Illinois head coach Jolette Law said. "But we didn't execute on the next few possessions and in the blink of an eye it was back to 12 points."

Just like in Champaign 10 days ago, OSU's inside combo of Lavender and Star Allen dominated the paint, giving the Buckeyes 34-20 advantage on points in the paint and a 39-31 edge on the glass. The duo combined for 43 points and 20 rebounds while hitting 20-of-31 from the field.

The Illini had 16 turnovers on the night and they were costly, as the Buckeyes turned them into 23 points on the other end. Illinois, meanwhile, converted Ohio State's 13 turnovers into just eight points on the offensive end.

Smith had five rebounds, two blocks and two steals for Illinois to go along with her team-high 19 points. The two blocked shots give her 136 for her career, moving her past Jonelle Polk and into second place on the UI career blocks list. Kendra Gantt's school record of 156 is within reach this season if she keeps her current pace of two blocks per game. The 19 points pull smith to within one of Lynnette Robinson for 13th on the UI all-time scoring list. Smith now has 1,321-career points and has scored in double-figures in 28 straight games, the ninth longest streak in the nation.

"Jenna settled down and battled more in the second half," Law said of her All-American center. "In the first half, Jantel (Lavender) was having her way with her, so I told her at halftime to start playing more aggressively on both ends. She's so used to being double-teamed that she's hesitant to attack sometimes, but tonight she became more aggressive in the second half."

Redshirt freshman guard and Bedford Heights, Ohio, native Lydia McCully was the only other Illini in double-figures with 11 points and also added six rebounds and three steals, but also had eight turnovers on the night. Freshman Macie Blinn, a native of Greenville, Ohio, came off the bench to score four points for the Orange and Blue, who shot 33.9 percent from the field for the game.

Defensively, the Illini did a good job containing the Buckeye guards, as OSU's starting guard trio of Samantha Prahalis, Ashlee Trebilcock and Brittany Johnson combined to hit just 4-of-17 from the field and did not hit a three-pointer on the night. Senior Chelsea Gordon (two steals) and junior Lacey Simpson (three steals) were a big part of the Illini defensive effort. Simpson's three steals give her 219 for her career, which moves her past Shavonna Hunter and into a tie for third on the UI all-time steals list with Cindy Dallas. Simpson also added six points, eight rebounds and five assists despite having an off shooting night (3-of-13).

"I thought we did a good job of containing Prahalis and Trebilcock and I was pleased with our transition and three-point defense," Law said. "We played good defense for about 32 minutes tonight, but couldn't get the key stops when we needed them."

The Illini return to Champaign to host the Indiana Hoosiers this Sunday at 3 p.m. before heading back on the road to face Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., on Thursday, Jan. 29, at 6 p.m.