Lavender, Prahalis lead the way as Buckeyes rally past Dayton

COLUMBUS (AP) — Jantel Lavender scored 27 points and Samantha Prahalis had 17 to help No. 20 Ohio State rally from a 10-point deficit in the second half to beat Dayton 76-61 in the final of the Buckeye Classic.

Kristin Daugherty had 18 points and Justine Raterman 16 for the Flyers (4-3), who went up 49-39 when Kendel Ross hit a 3-pointer with 12:40 to play.

But Ohio State (6-1) answered with an 11-1 run that included Prahalis making a 3-pointer and a three-point play.

Lavender ended the stretch with two free throws that tied it at 50.

Patrice Lalor gave the Flyers their last lead at 52-50 with 9:20 remaining but Lavender followed with a free throw and short jumper and Sarah Schulze hit a 3-pointer hit to put Ohio State ahead 56-51.

Dayton couldn’t get closer than five the rest of the way.

Ohio State’s Shavelle Little had five steals and six rebounds and Schulze came off the bench to score a career-high 11 points in the final 12 minutes.

The game featured nine lead changes and 11 ties. Raterman said the Flyers came out determined in the second half.

“We weren’t going to back down,” she said.

“I think that’s what they expected us to do.”

Ohio State’s defense stepped up once Dayton took the 10-point lead and really made the difference, Raterman said.

“We kind of cracked under the pressure,” said Dayton coach Jim Jabir, who cited Ohio State’s enthusiastic home crowd as another key factor.