Foster wins 750th game as Buckeyes hold off Cal

Associated Press

berkeley, calif.

Samantha Prahalis had 18 points and six assists and No. 12 Ohio State held off California 77-75 on Saturday to remain unbeaten and give coach Jim Foster his 750th career victory.

Tayler Hill and Ashley Adams added 15 points apiece for the Buckeyes (10-0), who led by 14 with 5:20 left before the Golden Bears rallied in the final minutes.

Darryce Moore (Boardman) scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench for OSU, while Amy Scullion (Salem) had five points in eight minutes.

Cal missed a chance to force overtime when Gennifer Brandon’s layup with 5 seconds remaining fell short. Reshanda Gray grabbed the rebound but missed and also failed on a putback attempt before Afure Jemerigbe’s final try was off as the buzzer sounded.

Brandon finished with 24 points and a career-high 24 rebounds for the Bears (8-3), who were 20 of 38 from the free throw line.

The Buckeyes had won their previous two games by an average of 38.5 points before being pushed to the brink by Cal in the first meeting between the teams since 2009.

Prahalis, Ohio State’s career assists leader, had nine points in the second half, including a soft jumper that gave the Buckeyes a 72-58 lead with less than 51/2 minutes left.

She finished 7 of 13 from the floor and had eight rebounds before fouling out in the final minute.

It turned out to be the difference in the game for the Bears, who had their five-game winning streak snapped.

All three of Cal’s losses this season have been against ranked teams.

Ohio State, on the other hand, kept rolling and matched the school’s best start. The 2000-01 team also started 10-0.

Foster, in his 10th season with the Buckeyes, became the ninth Division I women’s coach to reach the 750-win plateau.