No. 7 Ohio State 90, Canisius 58

12/22/2005 10:09 PM

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio State's inside duo of Jessica Davenport and Debbie Merrill were too strong for Canisius.

Davenport had 29 points and 10 rebounds and Merrill added 19 points to help the seventh-ranked Buckeyes beat the Golden Griffins 90-58 Thursday night. Merrill and Davenport also combined for seven of Ohio State's 23 assists.

``One of the strengths of our team is that we have post players who can pass,'' Buckeyes coach Jim Foster said. ``If the shot isn't there, they are willing to give it up. Our posts executed very well all around.''

The Buckeyes (8-1) shot 48 percent from the field and forced 31 turnovers. Kim Wilburn tied a career-high with eight steals.

``To be competitive against a team like that, you have to shoot well, which I think we did, and you can't turn the ball over,'' Canisius coach Terry Zeh said. ``We didn't play as well mentally as we did physically.''

Davenport made 9 of 16 shots from the field and 11-of-14 from the free-throw line. She scored 14 points in a 23-5 run that gave Ohio State a 66-38 lead with 8:49 left.

Megan Lyte led Canisius (6-6) with 13 points. Amanda Cavo scored 11 points and Becky Zak finished with 10 for the Golden Griffins, who shot 44 percent.

The Buckeyes have won two straight games since a 64-48 home loss to No. 3 LSU last Thursday.

Merrill got Ohio State off to a strong start. She converted a three-point play to finish off a 11-0 run that gave the Buckeyes an early 15-4 lead.

Merrill had 11 points in the first half as the Buckeyes led 39-25 at the break despite being held to 41 percent shooting. Ohio State shot 57 percent from the floor in the second half.

``We got quality shots in the first half, they just didn't go in,'' Foster said. ``Our execution in the second half was great.''