Following the lead of their male counterparts, the Ohio St. Buckeyes women’s basketball team is on to the Sweet 16 in the 2011 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament following a 67-60 win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at St. John Arena in Columbus.
Jantel Lavender scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Buckeyes in a followup to her 30 point-11 rebound performance in the first round. Samantha Prahalis scored 16 points, Tayler Hill 11 and Ashley Adams 10 for the Buckeyes who improved to 24-9 and look to be playing their best basketball of the season at exactly the right time.
Metra Walthour led the Lady Yellow Jackets with 15 points while Sasha Goodlett added 12 points and 6 rebounds. The Jackets led the Buckeyes at the half 30-29, but Ohio State took command down the stretch to move on.
Georgia Tech struggled with their outside shot all night hitting just 2-17 from behind the 3-point line. Ohio State, on the other hand, shot the ball incredibly well – 59.5. The Yellow Jackets stayed close thanks to a rebounding edge and 20 Buckeyes’ turnovers.
Up next for the Buckeyes are the No. 1-seed Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday.