Ohio State women’s basketball opened its season with a win over Duquesne University on Friday night with a score of 88-48.
This was the first season win for OSU women’s basketball coach Jim Foster, who is new to the Buckeye team this year.
“With all the new coaching staff it was like everybody was starting from scratch,” senior forward Courtney Coleman said. “Everybody adapted pretty fast; once we got in there we were just playing our game.”
In the game, Duquesne came out with an early lead of 11-3 before the Buckeyes came back to score six straight points. With OSU down by two, Duquesne answered back with a jumper by senior guard Nikolina Pender, resulting in a 13-9 lead.
Just when it seemed Duquesne would be running the show, OSU tied the game with nine minutes remaining in the first half.
OSU defense held Duquesne at bay until junior guard Candace Futrell launched from the three-point line. The Buckeyes held a 34-19 lead at the half.
“Early in the game their zone and traps resulted in us not making wise decisions,” Foster said. “Once we started attacking differently on defense, it helped us on the offensive end. Offensively, we went to another level of intensity.”
Continuing with the success of the first half, OSU opened the second half with a three-point shot from sophomore guard Caity Matter for a 37-19 lead over the Dukes. OSU continued with the scoring midway through the second, with the scoreboard showing OSU at 69 to the Dukes 38.
The Buckeyes never gave up the lead, polishing off the game with a final tally of 88-48.
Buckeye sophomore guard Ashley Allen scored a career high of 20 points on Friday, grabbing four rebounds, creating one turnover against the Dukes and handing out eight assists.
Coleman added 16 points to the Buckeye effort followed by Matter with 13. Junior forward LaToya Turner chipped in with 10 points while senior forward D’Wan Shackleford earned a team high of seven rebounds and gave nine points, three steals and one assist to the Buckeye cause.
“There is a new-found enthusiasm on the team this year,” Matter said.
“We’re with each other in practice every day working hard. It gives us all the confidence in the world to know that somebody is going to step up and make that shot when we need it,” she said.
In her first nine minutes of play for the Buckeyes, freshman guard Kim Wilburn earned three steals, four points and one rebound. The Buckeyes had a field goal percentage of .571 for the game against the Dukes 32 percent for the night.
Over Thanksgiving weekend, OSU will participate in the 16th annual Coors Classic tournament in Boulder, Colorado.
Villanova will be OSU’s first match-up of the two day tournament.
“I think Villanova is a very difficult team to play anywhere at anytime,” Foster said. “They have a unique style of play and it will be a great early test for us.”
OSU plays host to Wayne State Warriors tonight at 7 p.m., marking the Buckeyes’ first home game of the 2002-03 season.
The last two times out for the Warriors proved disappointing as they fell to St. Anselm 92-82 and lost 78-74 against Assumption.
Both games were played as part of the Holiday Inn Conference Center Classic hosted by Kutztown University. Wayne State was picked fifth in a pre-season poll released by the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
