No. 19 Ohio State women’s basketball had a challenge ahead of them on Sunday against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. As one of the taller teams in the nation, the young Buckeyes’ interior had its work cut out for it. After a back-and-forth first half, it was 40 points in the paint that helped Ohio State come away with a 71-49 victory over the taller and more physical Scarlet Knights.
First quarter
It was a weird first 10 minutes of the game on Sunday. The quarter crawled by with both teams successfully reviewing out-of-bounds calls to flip calls. Point guard Jaloni Cambridge was the first. Against UCLA, the guard told her coach not to review a call he was asking to get reviewed. Sunday, Cambridge vehemently disagreed on a ball going out on the sophomore and swirled her hand in the air vigorously.
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Halfway through the quarter, Rutgers’ size was too much for Ohio State, and the Scarlet Knights held a three-point lead. The Buckeyes responded and, in one minute, went on an eight-point run to jump ahead five points. It looked like Ohio State hit its stride, but the Scarlet Knights threw bodies into the paint and answered back with an eight-point run of their own — all on layups.
During the Rutgers run, the referees did not make many friends in the Schottenstein Center when forward Imani Lester dribbled up the court, lifted up her arm, and hit Cambridge in the face. The officiating crew blew a whistle, but against Cambridge, which shocked most of the crowd and the Ohio State bench.
The Buckeyes headed into the second quarter with a three-point deficit.
Second quarter
Neither side put on an offensive display at the start of the second quarter. The Buckeyes and Scarlet Knights went 3-of-12 from the floor, and the two sides tied three times in the quarter until Ohio State scored 11 of the final 14 points of the quarter.
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Guard Chance Gray, who missed two three-point attempts in the quarter, kept with plays despite the cold shooting. On one of Rutgers’ six turnovers in the quarter, Gray ran down the court on her own, caught a quarterback pass from Jaloni Cambridge, and went up for a layup. In the process, Gray got hit in the face and, while on the floor, yelled victoriously before hitting a free throw to end the 11-point run.
Ohio State took a five-point lead into halftime, and guard Kennedy Cambridge led all scorers with 9 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.
Third quarter
Gray continued that fight into the second half. First, the senior from Cincinnati hit a three-point shot, her first of the day on her fourth attempt. Then, Gray showed the same grit from the second quarter when the guard went to the basket, took contact, and converted her layup into a three-point play.
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Ohio State went on an early eight-point run in the second half, but then the two Big Ten teams traded baskets for the last seven minutes of the quarter. The Buckeyes took a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter.
Fourth quarter
The Buckeyes went into the fourth quarter and looked determined to put the game away. That work came on defense where Ohio State scored six of its first 10 points of the quarter on fast break opportunities. Head coach Kevin McGuff’s side had its fourth run of the game with at least eight points to turn a nine-point lead into an insurmountable 17 points by the end of the run.
Making matters worse, Scarlet Knights forward Lester left the game with a knock, but returned to the bench.
Number of the game: 38
Entering Sunday, Ohio State’s 41 rebounds per game was a team high in McGuff’s 13 seasons leading the program. Against Rutgers, a side with six players standing at least 6-foot-3, the Scarlet and Gray excelled on the boards despite the size difference.
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The Buckeyes grabbed 38 rebounds, compared to 24 for Rutgers. Before Ohio State’s win, the team’s rebounding margin stood at 3.21 more than their competitors this season. That 14-rebound difference showed that grabbing extra possessions is more than height.
Key performers
Ohio State
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Kennedy Cambridge: 9 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals
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Elsa Lemmilä: 10 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks
Rutgers
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Imani Lester: 14 points, 6 rebounds
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Faith Blackstone: 15 points
Up Next
Ohio State is on the road for three of the next four games, and all three come against potentially ranked opponents. On Wednesday, the Scarlet and Gray travel to Champaign, Illinois, to face the Fighting Illini, who received votes in the latest Associated Press poll, but followed that up with a win over the No. 7 Maryland Terrapins on New Year’s Day.
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Then, Ohio State is in College Park, Maryland, to face those same Terrapins, the first of two against head coach Brenda Frese’s side. After the Buckeyes return to Columbus for a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions, McGuff’s side travels to Newark, New Jerse,y to face the No. 8 TCU Horned Frogs at The Coretta Scott King Classic.
