Lavender propels OSU past No. 18 Iowa

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

The high-low game has turned a low point into a high one for No. 24 Ohio State.

Jantel Lavender hit double figures for the 121st consecutive game, scoring 22 points to lead No. 24 Ohio State to an 81-67 win over No. 18 Iowa on Monday night.

Almost as important as another good game for Lavender — she also had eight rebounds and six assists — was the play of fellow post player Ashley Adams.

Virtually unseen for most of the year, the 6-foot-5 freshman has teamed with the 6-4 Lavender to give the Buckeyes (13-6, 4-3 Big Ten) a lethal high-low post game. Adams, who took over two games ago when senior starter Sarah Schulze went out with a knee injury, chipped in with 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

“She’s hard to guard,” said Iowa coach Lisa Bluder, who hadn’t seen Adams when the Hawkeyes drilled the Buckeyes 89-76 in Iowa City on Jan. 8. “With her size, she’s an accurate field-goal shooter. And her and Jantel do a really nice job with the high-low. It looks like they’re really looking for each other really well.”

The Buckeyes shot 72 percent from the field in the second half — including 14 of 17 (82 percent) on shots inside the arc — to turn a one-point deficit at the half into a comfortable win.

Much of that is attributable to Adams and Lavender taking turns dumping lob passes into each other, or else flipping the ball out to wide-open teammates.

“I enjoy it,” Ohio State coach Jim Foster said of the high-low. “When you get two post players that can make a shot from the high post and the low post and can both pass, it’s a lot of fun.”

Brittany Johnson added 15, Tayler Hill 13 and Samantha Prahalis 10 points to go with eight assists in Ohio State’s third consecutive win. “Ask Brittany, she’s having fun, because she’s going to be open,” Foster said. “Ask Sammy and Tayler because they can get to the basket. The court gets bigger.”

Johnson hit 5 of 9 shots — all 3-pointers — to burn the Hawkeyes when they doubled up down low on one of the posts.