March 22, 2005
GAME: No. 7 Maryland (22-9) vs. No. 2 Ohio State (29-4).
REGIONAL: Philadelphia; Second Round.
TIME: Tuesday, 9:30 EST.
SITE: Comcast Center; College Park, Md.
Few teams have a weapon like Jessica Davenport. Even fewer have home-court
advantage in the NCAA tournament.
Davenport will try to help second-seeded Ohio State avoid a third
consecutive second-round exit and overcome what will surely be a very biased
crowd when it meets seventh-seeded Maryland at the Comcast Center.
Despite being a significantly higher seed than the Terrapins, the Buckeyes
will need to win what amounts to a road game to reach the regional semifinals.
Maryland is 13-3 at home this season, including a 65-55 first-round victory
over Wisconsin-Green Bay on Sunday.
Ohio State had a much easier time in the opening round as Davenport had 23
points and 11 rebounds in an 86-45 rout of Holy Cross.
Davenport had her first two shots of the game blocked, but recovered to make
10 of her final 14, and controlled the glass against the smaller Crusaders.
"It was a pretty tough, physical game," said Davenport, the Big Ten player
of the year. "I was nervous early, but as the game went on, I did a better job
of loosening up."
The 6-foot-4 sophomore, one of 17 Wooden Award finalists, is averaging 19.4
points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.4 blocks.
"It's tough to simulate Davenport in practice," Holy Cross coach Bill
Gibbons said. "She really plays like she's 6-8 or 6-9 with those long arms."
Maryland has a player that may match up favorably with Davenport.
Crystal Langhorne is a 6-3 freshman who is averaging 17 points and 10.5
rebounds, while shooting 60 percent from the field. In the first NCAA
tournament game of her career, Langhorne had 16 points and 10 boards against
Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Both teams are looking to prolong their winningest seasons since 1992-93.
That's also the last time the Buckeyes got past the second round, and marked
their only trip to the Final Four. They lost to Texas Tech in the national
title game.
Ohio State has been ousted in the second round each of the last two seasons,
making this the last chance at a deep tournament run for one of the school's
all-time greats.
Senior Caity Matter, one point shy of becoming the 10th Buckeye to reach
1,500 for her career, scored 12 in the first round - a bit below her season
average. However, she played just 21 minutes because the game was such a
blowout. For that matter, most of Ohio State's starters got plenty of rest.
"We were getting good shots and we executed well," Matter said. "I think
there might have been a little bit of nerves for some in the beginning, but we
settled down and we were fine."
While Matter and Brandie Hoskins, who scored 14 points Sunday, provide Ohio
State with a solid perimeter game, Shay Doron does the same for Maryland.
The sophomore guard scored 18 of her 26 points in the second half of the win
over Wisconsin-Green Bay. She finished as the ACC's fourth-leading scorer this
season, averaging 17.8 points.
Both previous meetings between these teams came in the NCAA tournament. Ohio
State won in the second round in 1986, and Maryland won two years later in the
regional semifinals.
That's where the winner will be headed to face Temple or Rutgers.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Maryland - F Jade Perry (4.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg), C Langhorne
(17.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg), G Doron (17.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg), G Kalika France (11.2 ppg,
4.8 rpg), G Anesia Smith (5.8 ppg, 6.8 apg). Ohio State - F Stephanie Blanton
(4.9, 3.2 rpg), C Davenport (19.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg), G Hoskins (12.9 ppg, 3.9 apg),
G Ashley Allen (4.4 ppg, 3.1 apg), G Matter (13.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg).
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Maryland - At-large berth, ACC; beat No. 10
Wisconsin-Green Bay 65-55, first round. Ohio State - At-large berth, Big Ten;
beat No. 15 Holy Cross 86-45, first round.
ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Maryland - 14-13, 14 years. Ohio State - 16-13,
14 years.
