• Box Score: Ohio State 82, Nebraska 68
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State got a crucial bit of good news before its Thursday night game with the Nebraska women's basketball team when the Buckeyes announced leading scorer Tayler Hill would start after not practicing during week.
The junior guard's speed on the fast break and dazzling stat line — 21 points, 10 rebounds, six steals — were key differences in the No. 10 Buckeyes 82-68 win over the No. 20 Huskers at Value City Arena.
Hill and OSU point guard Samantha Prahalis — 19 points, nine assists — negated a career-high 24 points from freshman Emily Cady and Jordan Hooper's gritty 19-point, 14-rebound performance with the Buckeyes swarming her every move.
“We're the team that flies to the ball,” Prahalis said. “We like to play up and down the court. We like defense and hard work. This team has a little bit of a hard edge to it.”
Hooper and NU (15-3 overall, 4-2 in the Big Ten) had to fight for contested jumpers, hitting just 33 percent of their shots for the game and just 7 of 29 3-point attempts. Nebraska only got to the line 12 times, forcing only 14 OSU fouls.
In several possessions, the Huskers settled for quick 3-pointers early in the shot clock.
“We make too many errors and our shot selection is questionable at times,” Nebraska coach Connie Yori said.
Meanwhile, the Buckeyes (18-1, 5-1) scored 16 points off 15 NU turnovers and busted loose on fast breaks led by Prahalis and finished by Hill, who complained of dizziness after Sunday's game vs. Michigan State. Neither Hill nor Prahalis ever left the floor Thursday night, playing all 40 minutes.
“They are good when they can get their transition game going,” Yori said. “They scored 20 points basically unguarded. Transition offense was really critical, and they've got great guard play.”
The two teams combined for 46 points in the last 7:44 of the first half. Ohio State led 41-35 at the break.
The Buckeyes finally cracked the game open five minutes into the second half with a quick 8-2 run, scoring all of their points off layups. Hill scored two of them herself, and OSU led 53-41 with 12:37 remaining.
Nebraska never got closer than eight after that. Cady scored 15 of NU's last 27 points as Ohio State hounded Hooper — who scored just two points in the final 10 minutes.
In 36 minutes, junior guard Lindsey Moore struggled in her matchup with Prahalis, missing 8 of 13 shots, committing six turnovers and fouling out with 13 seconds left in the game.
After back-to-back losses for the first time this year, NU now heads back to the Devaney Center for a 5 p.m. game Sunday against Minnesota.
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