Ohio State beats Iowa in Big Ten semi        3/9/2009 6:49:27 PM

The No. 12 Buckeyes ran out to a 20-2 lead and eventually beat the Hawkeyes 72-56 on Saturday night in the Big Ten tournament semifinals.

Iowa beat Ohio State 85-75 in their only regular-season meeting. That defensive meltdown was on the Buckeyes' minds.

"That was a major emphasis," said Jantel Lavender, who led Ohio State with 21 points and 17 rebounds. "We knew if we gave up

85 points, it's kind of hard for us to beat a team like that. Eighty-five points is just too much to give up. We knew that."

Ohio State enters the final on a seven-game winning streak. Iowa had won its past seven games.

Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said Ohio State looked like a different team this time.

"They came out much more aggressive than they did at our place the first time," she said. "It caught us off-guard a little bit. We had seen good defense throughout the year, but Ohio State certainly is a great team. They really came out wanting to avenge that loss. They did a great job."

Star Allen had 13 points and 15 rebounds for the top-seeded Buckeyes (26-5), who will play Purdue in the final for the third time in four years.

Purdue, the No. 3 seed, beat No. 7-seed Wisconsin 70-56 in the other semifinal to advance to Sunday's championship game.

Purdue, the two-time defending tournament champion, beat Ohio State in the 2007 final.

The Boilermakers have won seven titles in 14 years. They have the advantage of playing at Conseco Fieldhouse, about 65 miles from campus.

"This is sort of like their home court," Lavender said. "We have to come out and play with the kind of intensity we played with today."