No. 4 Ohio St. 73, Dayton 31

11/30/2005 8:58 PM

By RUSTY MILLER
AP Sports Writer

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Brandie Hoskins scored 16 points and Jessica Davenport chipped in with 14 to help No. 4 Ohio State to a 73-31 victory over Dayton on Wednesday night.

The Buckeyes (4-0) never trailed, mostly because the Fliers never had more points than they had turnovers. They turned the ball over 32 times while shooting 26 percent from the field (11-of-43).

Marscilla Packer added 13 points and Kim Wilburn had 10 for the Buckeyes, who won their 19th consecutive home game.

It was Ohio State's 16th victory in a row over an in-state opponent, dating to a 68-63 loss to Xavier early in the 1998-99 season.

Jennifer Strong and Ashley Armstrong each had six points for Dayton (2-2).

The margin of defeat matched the second-largest for the Fliers, trailing only a 46-point loss to Memphis in 1995.

The Buckeyes led 36-14 at the half despite going scoreless for almost 5 1/2 minutes - although Dayton only scored two points over that same span.

Ahead 13-7 with 8:19 left in the half, Ohio State scored 12 of the next 13 points. Hoskins had a driving layup and two free throws during the surge, while Tamarah Riley started it with two free throws, Packer made a breakaway layup and Davenport ended the spurt with a shot in the paint to make it 25-8 with 5:08 left.

The Fliers piled up 19 turnovers in the first half, many of them without any defensive pressure being applied.

Ohio State then scored the first 11 points of the second half to push the lead to 45-14.

The Buckeyes, who have led the nation in field goal percentage the past two years, had an off shooting night. They hit 45 percent from the field, well under their 58-percent average coming in.

The game wasn't much of a tuneup for Ohio State's next three opponents: games at Boston College and Southern Cal followed by a home showdown with No. 3 LSU on Dec. 15.