COLUMBUS - Illinois needed to either defend center Jessica Davenport or swarm Ohio State's outside shooters. In the end, neither approach worked.

Marscilla Packer made five 3-pointers to complement Davenport's 19 points, leading No. 7 Ohio State to a 75-49 victory Sunday.

“You have to make a decision,” coach Jim Foster said of the dilemma facing the Buckeyes' opponents. “When you open the inside game, it creates opportunities for quality looks from the perimeter and penetration. It's all about the inside game establishing itself so you can add those other dimensions.”

It marked the Buckeyes' eighth consecutive win and kept the defending co-champions a game behind front-running Purdue in the Big Ten. A crowd of 11,622 watched the contest, the second-largest audience for a women's basketball game at Value City Arena.

Packer's 15 points all came on 3s. Brandie Hoskins added 13 points for Ohio State (17-2, 8-1).