The memory of the upset loss at Minnesota on Jan. 29 had eight days to rattle around in Samantha Prahalis’ thoughts.

Consider eight days of listening to the same hailstorm pepper the same tin roof and imagine how much the Ohio State point guard wanted to play again last night in Value City Arena against Wisconsin.

“I wanted to come out aggressive,” Prahalis said. “Not necessarily was I passive in the game that we lost, but I felt like I could have been more aggressive. For that I made it a point to be aggressive at the start.”

A sizzling-hot Prahalis shredded the Wisconsin defense for a career-high 34 points and helped the 10th-ranked Buckeyes to a 72-58 win in front of 3,817 fans.

“My shot felt good,” she said. “So I was in a flow in this game. I like being in the open court. I like playing at a fast pace. That definitely favored us. As a team, I felt like we did a pretty good job of bouncing back (from the loss) and staying together.”

Ohio State (21-2, 8-2 Big Ten) needed this kind of game from Prahalis to offset a torrid performance from beyond the three-point arc by the Badgers (8-15, 4-7). Wisconsin made 12 of 24 three-point attempts in the game.

The Badgers hit seven threes in the second half and at one point cut a 13-point deficit to 49-46 with 12:05 to play. OSU coach Jim Foster called a timeout to discuss the situation.

“That’s the reason they came back,” Prahalis said. “They were shooting all those threes and they were making them. Coach Foster had some words for us and we responded pretty well. We just made it important and got out (on defense) a little quicker.”

After the timeout, the Buckeyes went on a 14-3 run to regain control of the game.

“I think we just hit an area defensively where we weren’t playing at the level we need to play,” Foster said. “I thought we got much more aggressive at that end of the floor. They want to stay behind the three-point line and we have to consistently defend those actions.”

The separation finally arrived with a 10-0 spurt that saw Tayler Hill hit a three-pointer and Prahalis go the length of the court for a layup after one of her three steals. She credited teammate Amber Stokes.

“That steal was really Amber’s steal,” Prahalis said. “She played great defense. The girl went sideways. All I had to do was pick (the ball) up. It was a big play because it pushed (the lead) to 11.”

Wisconsin coach Bobbie Kelsey wasn’t happy with her team’s defense or ball-handling.

“Prahalis is a very tough cover,” she said. “And Hill (is) as well. When you have 22 turnovers, you’re not going to win many games. We have to be more competitive.”

Prahalis didn’t surprise Kelsey.

“She’s not very big, but she is very effective,” she said. “And she can handle the ball. When you can handle the ball and you can shoot, you don’t worry about who is guarding you. You don’t care. She knows she can get a shot up anytime she wants to or get it to somebody else for a layup.”

jmassie@dispatch.com