Ohio State gives UNCW’s women’s basketball team their first loss of the season

COLUMBUS, Ohio – WWAY – Senior forward Brittany Blackwell posted her third double-double of the season to lead UNCW in an 88-69 loss at No. 7 Ohio State in collegiate women’s basketball action Sunday at Value City Arena.

The Buckeyes remained undefeated on the season as they improved to 5-0 while the Seahawks suffered their first loss under Head Coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke as they moved to 4-1.

Blackwell scored 13 points and added a game-high 14 rebounds to record the 28th double-double of her career. Junior Kristen Hanzer led three Seahawks in double figures with 14 points while freshman Alisha Andrews chipped in 10 points. Senior Martha White established a new career high with 12 rebounds as UNCW held a 45-43 advantage on the glass.

Senior forward Jantel Lavender posted her fourth double-double of the season and the 61st of her career as she finished with a game-high 25 points and 11 rebounds to power a Buckeyes attack that shot 51.6 percent (33-of-64) from the floor for the game. Junior guard Samantha Prahalis also finished with a double-double as she chipped in 21 points and dished out a game-best 11 assists. Senior Brittany Johnson rounded out the trio of double-digit scorers for the Buckeyes as she finished with 17 points, 12 of which came in the first half.

Leading 66-60 with 6:28 remaining, a conventional three-point play by Johnson sparked an 18-5 run that lasted more than three and a half minutes and gave the Buckeyes an 84-65 lead with 2:52 remaining. Lavender powered the game-deciding run as she scored 11 points during the spurt while Prahalis chipped in four points, all at the free-throw line.

OSU would take its biggest lead of the game, 88-67, on a layup by sophomore Amber Stokes before a putback by White would determine the final 19-point margin of victory.

Johnson sparked another OSU run earlier in the contest as she used a pair of free throws and a three pointer from the right side to start a 13-4 run that stretched a one-point Buckeyes advantage into their first double-digit lead of the game, 35-25, with 1:51 remaining in the first half.

UNCW responded, scoring 11 of the next 15 points to pull within three, 39-36, before the Buckeyes took advantage of a 6:33 stretch in which it out-scored the Seahawks, 18-9, to build a 57-45 cushion with 11:51 mark of the second half.

The Seahawks once again fought back as it rattled off eight unanswered points to trim the Buckeyes cushion to four, 57-53. The two teams traded baskets over the next three and a half minutes until Johnson’s layup and free throw at the 6:28 mark started the game-changing run.

Both teams are back in action Thursday with home contests. UNCW hosts in-state foe Charlotte at Trask Coliseum while Ohio State takes on Virginia as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Both games are set for tip off at 7 p.m.

Article courtesy UNCW Sports Information