Buckeye duo burns Lions, nets 62 in loss

When Beth Burns took over the Ohio State women's basketball team, she knew that the team needed players to score at will for her team to be competitive.

Juniors Marrita Porter and Larecha Jones were the ones who stepped up their games this season to lead the Buckeyes to an 11-6 record, and into the middle of the Big Ten pack after a disappointing 12-16 record last season.

In yesterday's 82-73 loss to Penn State, Jones and Porter proved why they are valuable to their team. After a 10-0 Lady Lion run at the beginning of the game, Jones scored Ohio State's first seven points to pull to a 13-7 deficit. Jones finished the first half scoring 21 of the Buckeyes' 33 points, and her team ended the half tied at 33.

While the Lions occupied themselves in controlling Jones, Porter stepped up her game in the second half. The combination of Jones (scoring 13 points in the second half) and Porter (scoring 18 points) helped Ohio State to tie the game at 69 at the end of regulation after trailing by as many as 10 points in the second half.

"I think this game is indicative of how our season has been," Burns said. "We have two people who can score. We do everything we can do to allow those people to score, and I don't think we can ask them to do much more than they did."

But going into the overtime period, Jones was already tagged with four fouls. Burns, however, felt the need to keep her in the game if the Buckeyes were going to pull out the victory.

"I didn't think twice when I chose to put Larecha in the overtime," Burns said.

But less than a minute into the overtime period, Jones picked up her fifth foul and fouled out of the game with 36 points. She watched as Penn State outscored her team 13-4 in the period, and fell to the Lions.

Even with the loss, the Buckeyes (11-7, 4-5 Big Ten) still are in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten. Jones and Porter add a lot of different skills to a very limited Ohio State squad.

"Their biggest strength is their versatility," Burns said. "They can score in a lot of places. They both can handle the ball as well."

But if the Buckeyes want to keep pace with the other Big Ten teams, Burns needs for the rest of her team to give Jones and Porter an assist in scoring. But until they do, Burns is forced to rely on her only two scoring weapons.

"It could get a little frustrating," Burns said, "but that's the cards we were dealt."