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Columbus, OH (AP) -- Despite a career-high 24 points from freshman Callan Taylor and 14 from NEC Player of the Year Alisa Apo, Sacred Heart had its 21-game win streak snapped on Saturday with a 77-63 setback at Ohio State in an NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament first round matchup at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. Fresh off winning their second NEC women's basketball title on March 15, the Pioneers closed out the year with a 25-8 record.
Samantha Prahalis took care of the perimeter with a career-best 23 points, and Jantel Lavender did the same inside with 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead Ohio State. The Buckeyes (28-5) now advance to Monday night's second-round against 11th-seeded Mississippi State (23-9), a 71-63 winner over Texas in the day's first game.
Ashlee Trebilcock had 13 points and Maria Moeller added a career-high 12 for the Buckeyes, the regular-season and tournament champions of the Big Ten. The win was their ninth in a row.
The loss ended one of the more amazing stories in the tournament. The Pioneers opened the season 0-5 before going on the second-longest tear in the country, trailing only No. 1 and unbeaten in-state rival Connecticut (33-0) - which lies just 70 miles away from Sacred Heart's campus in Fairfield.
The Pioneers trailed just 46-44 with 12:50 left, but foul trouble and the Buckeyes' transition game helped Ohio State pull away.
Playing before a hometown crowd, the Buckeyes hit 21 of- 29 free throws to just three of six for Sacred Heart.
Ohio State had led by as many as 14 before taking a 42-30 halftime lead, but the Pioneers wouldn't wilt. Lindsey Gibson's shot capped a 7-0 run to start the second half, and Sacred Heart drew as close as 46-44 on Kaitlin Sowinski's short jumper over Lavender with 12:50 left.
But foul trouble plagued the Pioneers.
Sowinski, their top inside player and second-leading scorer at 16 points a game, picked up her fourth foul midway through the second half and was limited in stopping the 6-foot-4 Lavender, the Big Ten's leading scorer, rebounder and player of the year the last two seasons.
Trebilcock gave the Buckeyes some breathing room with a 3-pointer to push the lead to 49-44. Moeller then followed with one of her career-best four 3-pointers, and Ohio State began to pull away.
During one span in the final minutes, Prahalis assisted on three consecutive baskets in less than a minute, all three coming in full flight down the court. The third was a no-look pass to Trebilcock for an easy layup in transtion.
Sowinski was limited to nine points in 28 minutes.
With the game tied at 11, Ohio State took the lead for good with an 11-2 run. Trebilcock, a senior whose playing time has diminished during the season, hit a perimeter jumper to open the streak. Prahalis orchestrated everything, hurrying the ball down the floor, slashing through the lane for a bucket and feeding Alison Jackson for two baskets.
She had 14 points in the first half to go with two assists. Lavender added 11 points, five rebounds and two assists as well.
Even though the game was played only a little over three miles from Ohio State's own arena, the game was played on the Buckeyes' home court. It was trucked in to serve as the surface for the NCAA games.
A high percentage of the 5,249 fans at Nationwide Arena, home of the NHL Columbus Blue Jackets, rooted for Ohio State. But the Pioneers made their presence felt, particularly in voicing displeasure at a 12-3 foul differential against their team in the opening half.
Ohio State Quotes
REPORTER: Jim, do you think the kids were a little excited, a little bit too excited at the start of the game and they kind of got more composure as the minutes got into it?
COACH FOSTER: I don't know. I just think we played a good basketball team. I don't think it's anything more than that. They won 21 games in a row. They had a match-up that caused us problems until the second half when we put Jantel in. I just think they're good, played well.
REPORTER: You were trying different combinations with players earlier?
COACH FOSTER: Basically, you do that every game, based on how the team plays against you in the conference season, basically the philosophy and strategy of the other teams, because you play against them every year, but in a game like this -- film can only tell you so much and they played a little differently than they had in some of the other games. You mix and match combinations. The first half is relative to defense, and the second half is relative to offense. I felt both Ashlee and Maria, when they took their time and we took our time, they just got shots that they make on a fairly regular basis.
Sacred Heart Quotes
COACH SWANSON: I couldn't be prouder of the three players sitting up here. It was no coincidence that you asked for these three. They're three special players. Kaitlin's had an outstanding career for us. When you look back at her accomplishments and her records on the floor, but her overall record in three regular season championships, two NCAA Tournament - not NCAA -- two NEC Tournament champions, and just an outstanding career. She needs to be applauded for that.
The other two sitting next to me, the sky's stilt the limit for them. My team competed today and that's all I asked for them. They went out there, tried, executed the game plan. They played free. They had fun. They played with passion. They played with purpose. Like I said, our whole administration, the community back in Fairfield, Connecticut, we couldn't be more proud of them.
REPORTER: What did the three of you think was the turning point? Was there something in particular that didn't work out for you or that they did better?
Kaitlin Sowinski: Well, I don't think they were -- granted, there were some turning points with scoring and some runs, but that's what the game of basketball is. You go on offensive runs, you go on defensive runs. I think we just really went out there as the underdog and gave it everything we had. Unfortunately in the end it didn't work out in our favor, but it was a good game.
REPORTER: Getting back to what we talked about a couple days ago, Kaitlin and Jantel, how did you feel that played out?
COACH SWANSON: It was important for Kaitlin to stay out of foul trouble early. That's why I was subbing her early. I thought she competed. I thought early in the game there was a couple other situations. Kaitlin's so used to be double-teamed and triple-teamed, when she gets the ball in one-on-one coverage, it's confusing to her. We talked about that at half time.
We felt we were going to try to go to her early. We did, and she was a little bit more successful in the second half. She played tough. I thought she battled. I thought she contested on the defensive side. She got in a little foul trouble, so that takes away a little bit of her effectiveness on the defensive side. Jantel Lavender is a -- I mean, she's a pro, and she played like it. I thought Kaitlin competed and executed what we thought she could.
REPORTER: You talked about how proud you were of your team competing. Some other of the big time games you've been in hasn't been so close. What did you feel the difference was? Was it the attitude? Was it this particular group today? What led to that more competitive play?
COACH SWANSON: I think confidence. I think talented players, with Callan Taylor and Alisa Apo. Alisa didn't shoot the ball that well today, but we ask so much of her, bring the ball up. I think just experience. You know, I think the difference in '06, we were happy to be there a little bit. We were a defensive-minded team. And I think this time we came with more of a purpose.
We had a great week of practice. We prepared good. And I thought we got off to a good start. Energy-wise, we were flying all over the place. We weren't making shots early, but I liked how the energy was flowing. We challenge our kids from a non-conference standpoint. We don't get anybody -- any of the Big Ten or the Big 12 or the SEC to come play us on our home floor. Not that that would make that big of a difference, but getting used to these environments.