news-record.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- UNCG coach Lynne Agee said she and the Spartans knew they couldn't beat third-ranked Ohio State on Wednesday night. So they focused on taking care of the ball and competing.

They accomplished those goals in a lopsided defeat.

Jantel Lavender scored 27 points and Samantha Prahalis added 13 points and 11 assists to lead the Buckeyes to an 89-56 win over UNCG.

"As a coach, it's very difficult to approach a game like this," Agee said. "People can say all they want to, but when you stand up in front of a team, for us to think we're going to walk in here and beat Ohio State is ridiculous, out of the question. So you walk a fine line between your team sensing from you that the game's over, but we're going to try to do these things."

The Buckeyes (6-0) actually followed a similar tack, working on playing hard and playing together. With a possible matchup against No. 22 California this weekend if both teams make it to the championship game of Ohio State's Buckeye Classic, coach Jim Foster went to his bench early and often.

"It's a combination of factors," he said while pointing out that 13 players played and 12 scored for Ohio State. "Your other players have to be able to play with each other. There's no reason to embarrass people."

Amanda Leigh scored 15 points for the Spartans (1-3), who had not faced a ranked team since losing to then-No. 10 Duke 84-39 two years ago.