No. 19 Ohio State was in a 12-point hole following the first quarter at No. 8 Maryland, but managed to come back and defeat the Terrapins 89-76 on Jan. 11.
After shooting just 23.8% from the field in the first quarter, Ohio State opened the second by hitting five of its six shots, helping build a 12-2 run and cut the deficit to five points with 7:02 remaining before halftime.
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“We had a dreadful start,” Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. “And a team like Maryland’s going to make you pay. … And I think, to our players’ credit, we really got after them at the end of the first quarter, and showed great character coming out of that and getting ourselves together.”
Ohio State finished an even 50% shooting from the field.
More: Jaloni Cambridge records OSU women’s first 40-point outing since 2016
The Buckeyes going 57.1% from the field in the second quarter allowed them to pull within two points, 42-40, by halftime, though they were also boosted by Maryland’s seven fouls.
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With Maryland in foul trouble during the quarter, the Buckeyes went to the free-throw line 10 times and made nine. Team-leading scorer Jaloni Cambridge scored 8 of her 10 second-quarter points from the free throw line.
“I’m really proud of myself, just getting to the line, not letting up,” Cambridge said. “They were trying to deny me off the ball, but my teammates stepped up and I’m okay with playing off the ball.”
COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND – JANUARY 11: Jaloni Cambridge drives to the basket in the first quarter against Saylor Poffenbarger #6 of the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center on January 11, 2026 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Cambridge had 28 points, eight assists and nine rebounds despite playing with three fouls the majority of the second half.
Buckeyes freshman forward Kylee Kitts had 13 points and four rebounds in the second half and finished with 18 points and eight rebounds.
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Ohio State opened the second half trading baskets with Maryland and eventually pulled ahead for the first time at the 7:17 mark in the third quarter. After collecting the ball off a bad pass from Maryland, Cambridge converted the turnover into a pull-up jumper to give the Buckeyes a 47-46 lead.
COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND – JANUARY 11: Elsa Lemmila and Kylee Kitts of Ohio State celebrate with teammates during the fourth quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center on January 11, 2026 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Ohio State forced Maryland into 17 turnovers and scored 22 points off those turnovers.
From the point Cambridge gave the Buckeyes the advantage, they quickly began putting space between themselves and the Terrapins.
“We knew we could do it,” Kitts said. “We knew it was going to be hard. We started off not very good, but I’m proud of the way we fought back and the way we played in the end.”
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Guard Chance Gray, who scored just 2 points in the first 20 minutes of play, accounted for 9 points once Ohio State took the lead.
This marks the Buckeyes’ second win of the season against a ranked team. They defeated No. 21 West Virginia 83-81 while unranked on Nov. 26.
Ohio State returns to The Schottenstein Center on Jan. 14 to face Penn State. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State women’s basketball defeats Maryland in road upset
