Sports

Davis-Cain key to FSU’s upset

• Terrell County product Tanae Davis-Cain misses her career high by only one point during Florida State’s upset of Ohio State in late Saturday night’s first round of the NCAA New Orleans Regional Westover’s Cayla Moore, however, tears her MCL.

Scott Chancey

DES MOINES, Iowa — Tanae Davis-Cain now knows what it’s like to be in a zone in college basketball.

The former Terrell County High School star scored 27 points, including six 3-pointers, during 11th-seeded Florida State’s 60-49 upset of sixth-seeded Ohio State on late Saturday night. The 3-pointers tied a single-game career record and her game total was one shy of a career high and single-game NCAA tournament record held by former Lady Seminole, Roneeka Hodges (she scored 28 in 2005 against Connecticut).

“It still hasn’t sunk in,” Davis-Cain told The Herald in a cell-phone interview Sunday.

Davis-Cain now she hopes for more good things to come during tonight’s second-round contest against third-seeded Oklahoma State in the NCAA New Orleans Regoinal. The Lady Seminoles upset Stanford in last year’s second round and advanced to the Sweet 16.

“We’re just taking it day by day,” said Davis-Cain, who won a state title at Terrell County. “We’re just going to be ready to play.”

Ex-Westover standout Cayla Moore, however, injured her knee and told The Herald she suffered a torn MCL. She added she hopes to return to the court this postseason before having surgery and is just as excited about tonight’s game as anyone else.

“We’re wanting to make a statement,” Moore said.

When Davis-Cain had the ball, there was good reason she was able to make three of her 3-pointers during an 18-8 run in the second half.

The Lady Buckeyes focused on other players and left her enough room to take aim.

“They backed off me for some reason and I didn’t think they would do that,” said Davis-Cain, who led Terrell County to the GHSA Class A title in 2005.

The Cowgirls, tonight, likely will guard Davis-Cain tighter so she is unable to shoot that well beyond the arc. That, according to Davis-Cain, won’t stop her from making plays.

“I’m more than a shooter,” she said. “I can drive in and get to ball to another player, or I can go around the defender.”

Freshman Jantel Lavender led Ohio State with 21 points and nine rebounds, and Marscilla Packer added 13 points.

The Seminoles went up by as much as 53-33 before Ohio State woke up. The Buckeyes reeled off 11 quick points, capped by a 3 from Packer, to get within nine with 5:32 left. But Packer misfired on a 3 and was called for charging, and Jacinta Monroe hit a turnaround in the paint with 2:32 left that essentially ended the drama.

The Seminoles, a somewhat surprising at-large pick after losing seven of their last 11 games, sure looked as though they belonged against the listless Buckeyes. Florida State (19-13) extended its streak of first-round victories to six dating to 1991.

“It’s a rule,” Florida State coach Sue Semrau said of her team’s first-round success. “I think it’s our conference, the way our conference prepares us for this.”

Ohio State held Florida State to just 32.8 percent from the field, but the Lady Seminoles grabbed 19 offensive rebounds and went 9-of-16 from 3-point range.

“Our decision making in transition wasn’t really good,” Ohio State coach Jim Foster said. “I think we played hard and made some good decisions at the end, but you have to control the glass and not have those second-chance opportunities.”

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