Ohio St.-Mississippi St. Preview

It wasn't easy, but impressive performances by a pair of young stars helped Ohio State find a way to reverse its recent trend of surprising first-round exits from the NCAA tournament.

Still, the third-seeded Buckeyes will be disappointed if they don't reach the round of 16 for the first time in four years, and they'll have an opportunity to punch their ticket to the Berkeley Regional semifinals Monday night against 11th-seeded Mississippi State in Columbus.

Despite winning the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles, the 10th-ranked Buckeyes (28-5) carried plenty of postseason baggage into their NCAA first-round matchup with Sacred Heart, having lost three straight games in the NCAA tournament -- all as the higher seed.

As a No. 4 seed in 2007, Ohio State was beaten by 13th-seeded Marist, and the team was a No. 6 seed when it lost 60-49 to Florida State in the first round last year.

Although their lead was trimmed to two midway through the second half against the 14th-seeded Pioneers on Saturday, the Buckeyes won 77-63 to end Sacred Heart's 21-game winning streak. They've won a season-high nine straight themselves.

While the 19 points and 10 rebounds from Big Ten player of the year Jantel Lavender were no surprise, freshman point guard Samantha Prahalis turned heads for Ohio State with a career-high 23 points and seven assists.

"This is something I've been waiting for my entire life -- to play in the NCAA (tournament)," Prahalis said.

Prahalis leads the Big Ten with 5.8 assists per game, but she totaled just 18 points in three games during the conference tournament as Lavender earned most outstanding player honors while averaging 22.7 points and 13.7 rebounds.

That changed Saturday, when Prahalis was 10-of-14 from the free throw line and 6-of-12 from the field, turning the ball over just once.

Coach Jim Foster's team may need more of the same if it hopes to overcome its troubled recent NCAA tournament history and earn a trip to Berkeley. Even when the Buckeyes were a No. 1 seed in 2006, they lost to eighth-seeded Boston College 79-69 in the second round.

"I think I want to get more than a first-round win," Lavender said. "I mean, as far as history goes, yes, I think it's a good feeling. But I think for me and Sammi both, I think one game is not enough. It's not satisfying for us."

Mississippi State should present another challenge coming off a victory in its first NCAA tournament game since 2003.

The Lady Bulldogs (23-9) were 21-of-22 from the free throw line in their 71-63 upset win over sixth-seeded Texas on Saturday, with leading scorer Alexis Rack hitting all 13 of her foul shots.

"We've been doing this all year," Rack said. "We shoot 100 free throws in practice. I felt like I was at practice. I felt comfortable and just focused."

Rack scored a game-high 20 points while playing just 23 minutes due to foul trouble, while junior forward Chanel Mokango added 15.

Typically strong defense from coach Sharon Fanning's club held the Longhorns to 30.9 percent shooting from the field. Lady Bulldogs opponents had shot 36.3 percent on the season coming in -- among the top 30 defenses nationally -- and the team's last five foes have now averaged 51.0 points.

A victory in its first-ever matchup with the Buckeyes would vault Mississippi State to the round of 16 for the first time in school history, as well as match the program record for victories.

The Lady Bulldogs, an at-large team out of the SEC, will also be trying to end a 21-game losing streak against top-10 opponents.