No. 4 Ohio St. 94, Nicholls St. 35

11/26/2005 7:11 PM

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Jessica Davenport and the Ohio State Buckeyes made quick work of overmatched Nicholls State - at both ends of the court.

Davenport had 18 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in No. 4 Ohio State's 94-35 victory over Nicholls State on Saturday in the first round of the Buckeye Classic.

Ohio State (2-0) led 43-7 after the first half, holding Nicholls State (0-3) to 8.7-percent shooting (2-of-23). Nicholls State finished at 26.7 percent.

``We applied great defensive pressure, executed on offense and really played hard,'' Davenport said.

The Buckeyes (2-0) will play Western Illinois in the championship game Sunday. The Leathernecks beat Eastern Washington 57-54.

The Buckeyes shot 64.9 percent for the game and scored 30 points off 18 turnovers. Star Allen added 17 points, Candace Dark had 12 and Debbie Merrill 11.

``Except for some lapses in the second half, I thought we kept our defensive pressure up for most of the game,'' Ohio State coach Jim Foster said. ``We played with a lot of intensity and on offense we shared the ball very well.''

Nicholls State coach Mark Cook said he put Ohio State on the Colonels' schedule so his team can learn how to play tough, physical games.

``They're good athletes and very physical,'' Cook said. ``We have many young kids, so at halftime you have to tell them what they are doing wrong. We're trying to set the tone with our young kids.''

Claire Barry led Nicholls State with 12 points, including three 3-pointers. Katherine Plummer had seven points and three rebounds.