No. 17 Bucks learn in win over Orange

COLUMBUS (AP) — The learning curve continues for No. 17 Ohio State.

Jantel Lavender had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Samantha Prahalis added 17 points and Brittany Johnson scored 15 to lead No. 17 Ohio State to a 78-71 victory over Syracuse on Wednesday night.

“Tonight was about learning,” coach Jim Foster said. “This was a good team that knew what they were doing. They play against other big teams in big arenas.

“We had a very young team who handled tonight’s game well. With today’s generation, they have to learn from experience. As a result they will be better next time they are on the floor.”

Lavender, last year’s freshman and player of the year in the Big Ten, hit 9 of 10 shots from the field for the Buckeyes. She said the game was a step for future games — including the Buckeyes’ next one.

“I thought we performed well,” she said. “This is going to be the same style we see Sunday against Auburn. Both teams are very athletic and press a lot. This was a great tuneup for Sunday.”

The Buckeyes (3-0) led 34-28 at the half and never relinquished the lead in the second half. Syracuse (2-1) narrowed a 16-point deficit to 61-54 on a layup by Erica Morrow with 6:56 left. But Johnson followed with a 3-pointer and Prahalis added a jumper, and the Orangemen never got closer than the final margin again.

“Brittany really won it for them tonight,” Syracuse coach Quentin Hillsman said. “She shot the ball a lot more than we thought she would.”

Johnson said when teams pay too much attention to Lavender, it opens the floor for her.

“When they double-teamed her, I felt I did a good job,” she said. “A lot of teams are going to double-team her, so I need to make sure I can hit open shots.”

Morrow had 23 points, Chandrea Jones had 14, Juanita Ward had 11 points and 10 rebounds off the bench and Vionca Murray scored 10 for Syracuse.