Feb 28, 2005 4 min read

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Jessica Davenport made her wish known and then made sure it came true. Davenport made her case for Big Ten player of the year with 29 points and career-high 16 rebounds, leading No. 4 Ohio State to a 69-58 win over No. 22 Penn State Sunday and a share of the conference title.

Before the game, Davenport addressed her teammates.

“I told them, ‘I really want to win. I’ve never won a championship,”‘ a smiling Davenport said.

Double- and triple-teamed all night, Davenport hit 8-of-18 shots from the field and made all 13 of her free throws to tie an Ohio State record. She also had more assists (4) than anyone else on either team.

Asked to assess Davenport’s play, Nittany Lions coach Rene Portland said, “I wish I had one.”

The showdown was played before 17,525, the largest crowd ever for a Big Ten game. Many stayed after the game as the Buckeyes cut down the nets at Value City Arena.

Caity Matter added 17 points and Brandie Hoskins 16 for the Buckeyes (27-3, 14-2), who locked up a piece of their first Big Ten title since 1993. They followed that co-championship by going to the NCAA title game.

“What a way to go out,” said Matter, a senior who played her final game. “A sellout crowd, a Big Ten championship: There’s nothing like it.”

Tanisha Wright also scored 29 points for Penn State (18-9, 13-3), which had won the earlier meeting between the teams, 69-62 on Dec. 30. The Nittany Lions had a four-game winning streak snapped.

Ohio State will be the top seed in next week’s Big Ten tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Co-champion Michigan State will be the No. 2 seed, with Penn State – which could have clinched its own share of the title with a win – seeded No. 3.

Coach Jim Foster said the Buckeyes wouldn’t dwell too much or too long on what they’ve done because they have so much unfinished business.

“We’ll tuck it (the title) in our pocket and pull it out at the appropriate time,” he said.

The Buckeyes led by as many as 13 points midway through the second half before Penn State pulled to 54-50 with 41/2 minutes left and had two chances to cut further into the lead. But Davenport, who finished with six blocked shots, swatted away a layup by Jess Strom, who added 12 points for the Nittany Lions. After an Ohio State turnover, Strom’s reverse layup spun out and Hoskins sliced through the lane for a bucket.

With Ohio State on top 58-52, the Buckeyes were running out of time on the shot clock when Matter hit a long 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded with 2:43 left.

“Just when you think you’ve got it, she struck,” Portland said.

The lead never fell below seven points again.

Davenport finished as the leading scorer in the conference (22 points), shot better than 60 percent from the field and averaged more than 10 rebounds.

Ohio State missed its first 11 shots and went scoreless in the first 7 minutes, falling behind 6-0 as Wright scored all of the Nittany Lions points.

A pair of Davenport baskets cut the gap to 8-4 before Ohio State went a 14-0 run. Stephanie Blanton scored five points, Davenport four and Matter hit a 3-pointer during the spurt as Davenport worked free from double-teams for baskets and the rest of the Buckeyes picked up points in transition and on drives.

The Buckeyes never trailed again.

Foster said he the program has made great strides since he took the job three years ago.

“When we got here we were talking about the potential,” he said. “I thought this was a place you could do significant things.”