No. 7 Ohio St. 77, Army 41

11/12/2006 5:25 PM

By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Sports Writer

WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) -An impressive performance by Ohio State put a damper on a special day for the Army women's basketball team.

Jessica Davenport scored 16 of her 22 points in the first half to help No. 7 Ohio State beat Army 77-41 on Sunday in the inaugural Maggie Dixon Classic.

The game was the second half of a doubleheader created by Pittsburgh men's coach Jamie Dixon, the older brother of Maggie, as a way to honor her following her death in April at age 28. Just three weeks after leading Army to its first NCAA tournament appearance as a first-year coach, Dixon died of arrhythmia, probably caused by an enlarged heart.

``It's a very emotional day for everyone here at the academy,'' said Army coach Dave Magarity, who was an assistant for Maggie last season. ``It's something we've had in the back of our minds and we knew it was going to be tough.''

Jamie Dixon's fourth-ranked Panthers beat Western Michigan 86-67 in the opener.

Between games, Maggie Dixon's parents, her sister, Julie Dixon-Silva, and Jamie were presented with a ring commemorating the 2005-06 Patriot League championship. Banners honoring the title and Maggie as conference coach of the year were unveiled in the rafters of Christl Arena.

``It was hard when we were going through the ceremony,'' said Cara Enright, who led Army with 20 points. ``We knew once the ball went up it was time to play.''

The Ohio State team stood attentively during the ceremony and watched, soaking in the scene.

``The level of their poise was impressive for my young players and veterans to see,'' said Ohio State coach Jim Foster. ``It was a great experience for us.''

Full of emotion, the Black Knights found themselves only trailing 21-13 with 11:35 left in the first half before the Buckeyes went on a 13-3 run capped by consecutive 3-pointers by Marscilla Packer, who led the Big Ten in 3-point shooting last season.

``We didn't score inside and we didn't rebound,'' Magarity said.

The Buckeyes extended the margin to 47-26 at the half despite Army shooting 50 percent (11-for-22).

The Black Knights went cold in the second half, scoring only one basket in the first 9:19 as the Buckeyes built a 69-29 lead.

Ohio State controlled the boards, outrebounding Army 43-21, including a 21-4 advantage in the first half. Davenport, the two-time Big Ten player of the year, had 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.

``I think we rebounded well,'' Davenport said. ``As the game went on we picked it up offensively and defensively.''

Brandie Hoskins scored 13 points and Tamarah Riley added 10 for the Buckeyes.

``We're proud to be part of something that we hope will be an annual affair,'' Foster said. ``We're proud to have been in the first.''

It was the first meeting between the schools and dropped Army to 0-7 in school history against Top Ten teams. The Black Knights lost 102-54 to Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA tournament last season.