On Sunday, No. 21 Ohio State women’s basketball started slow against the Northwestern Wildcats, and then on Thursday, the team had the chance to bounce back against the Northern Kentucky Norse of the Horizon League. The Buckeyes needed a record-breaking performance on defense to earn the 94-62 victory.
On paper, Thursday looked like a rout for the Buckeyes, but nobody told the Norse. Northern Kentucky went on a 17-5 run and visibly ruffled Ohio State. Head coach Kevin McGuff needed defensive help and found it in bench guards Ava Watson and Bryn Martin.
Ohio State forced eight turnovers in the final 3:43 of the quarter, and it resulted in a 13-3 run. The Buckeyes still ended the quarter down 22-20.
Second Quarter
With 7:15 remaining in the second quarter, it looked like Ohio State point guard Jaloni Cambridge committed a blocking foul on defense. Instead, referees called a charge against NKU guard Kamora Morgan. Northern Kentucky head coach Jeff Hans took offense. The Norse bench received a technical foul for arguing the call. Guard Chance Gray split the free throws to cut the deficit down to one point.
The Buckeyes scored 11 of the first 17 points of the quarter, but the first seven points came from the free throw line. It was indicative of a poor quarter of shooting as Ohio State missed its first nine shots. Northern Kentucky struggled initially but got on a shooting run to make their final five shots of the quarter. McGuff’s side entered halftime down 43-38.
Third Quarter
Whatever McGuff told the team at halftime, it worked. After the Norse hit two free throws to start the second half, Ohio State unleashed a barrage of offense. The Buckeyes went on a 16-point run, and Jaloni Cambridge accounted for eight of them. It gave the Scarlet and Gray a nine-point lead with less than four minutes of the third quarter played.
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Guard Kennedy Cambridge’s defense helped propel it. The guard grabbed her fourth steal of the game, which put her streak of games with at least four steals up to six games.
Fourth Quarter
By the start of the final quarter, Ohio State built a 16-point lead that continued to grow. Once McGuff gave Jaloni Cambridge a deserved rest with 6:30 remaining, the game was firmly in the Buckeyes’ hands as they rolled to the eventual victory.
Number of the Game: 27
That is the number of steals the Buckeyes forced in the eventual rout of the Norse. It broke the previous record set on Nov. 20, 2022, when Ohio State had 25 against the McNeese State Cowgirls.
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Kennedy Cambridge led the way with 10 steals, the most since former Buckeye guard Jacky Sheldon grabbed 11 against Boston College in November of 2022.
Key Performers
Ohio State
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Jaloni Cambridge – 33 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals
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Kennedy Cambridge – 6 points, 5 assists, 10 steals
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Ava Watson – 13 points, 7 steals
Northern Kentucky
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Karina Bystry – 21 points
Up Next
Ohio State is back in the Schottenstein Center on Sunday against the Toledo Rockets of the MAC. Toledo is 3-4 so far this season.
