Buckeyes aim for 21st straight victory, meet Boston College

3/20/2006 4:24 PM

Owner of the nation's longest winning streak, Ohio State realizes it will be tested when it faces Boston College.

The top-seeded Buckeyes (29-2) put their 20-game winning run on the line when they meet the Eagles (20-11) in a second-round Albuquerque Regional matchup at Mackey Arena.

Ohio State survived to beat Boston College 66-61 in overtime on Dec. 3. The Eagles held a 50-46 lead with 2:06 left in regulation before the Buckeyes tied it and finally took control in the extra session.

Boston College held a commanding 48-31 rebounding advantage, but was undone by 21 turnovers.

``They're a very, very physical basketball team, one of the most physical teams in the country and our players have to come out prepared for that,'' Ohio State coach Jim Foster said. ``I think we're a much better basketball team (than Dec. 3).''

The Buckeyes can expect another heavy dose of double and triple-teams on star center Jessica Davenport, who repeatedly faced multiple defenders in the first matchup. Davenport fouled out with 12 points and three rebounds.

These teams also met in the second round of the 2004 NCAA tournament with Boston College winning 63-48 and holding Davenport - then a freshman- to four points on 2-of-10 shooting.

Debbie Merrill scored 23 points and Davenport added 19 as Ohio State posted a 68-45 victory over Oakland in the first round Sunday. Davenport also notched her 13th double-double of the season with 18 rebounds, a school record for an NCAA tournament game.

``We have a height advantage, so just, our guards were throwing the ball over top and our post players were getting good position,'' Davenport said.

The Buckeyes, whose winning streak matches the school record set in 1984-85, have not lost since a 61-59 defeat to Purdue at Mackey Arena on Jan. 1.

The Eagles ended a five-game losing streak by knocking off Notre Dame 78-61 in the first round Sunday. Brooke Queenan had 18 points and 11 rebounds as BC won for the first time since Feb. 12.

``I don't think we were really down on ourselves,'' Queenan said. ``We were using those losses to get better.''

BC held a 42-31 edge on the glass, something it's looking to do in the rematch with Ohio State.

``We definitely came into the game with controlling the rebounds as a goal of ours,'' Queenan said. ``I think we did a really good job of sticking to that game plan and getting some offensive rebounds.''

The Eagles are seeking their third appearance in the regional semifinals - all in the last four seasons.

Ohio State leads 6-2 in the all-time series with BC.