No. 9 Ohio State women’s basketball (22-3) is heading back to Columbus with two wins on the West Coast after defeating Oregon (18-8) 80-64 on Feb. 8.
Coming off a 70-60 victory over No. 24 Washington three days earlier, the Buckeyes continued to rely on their defensive effort to beat Oregon.
Advertisement
“The statistics are low for you to win both games,” Ohio State guard Kennedy Cambridge said. “So, we wanted to prove that wrong, we wanted to prove ourselves right.”
Ohio State recorded 14 steals off 23 Oregon turnovers, converting those turnovers into 17 points.
Cambridge grabbed a team-high eight steals, all in the first half, and became the second Buckeye in program history to reach 100 steals in a season. Guard Yvette Angel achieved 115 steals in the 1984-85 season.
Ranking third nationally for steals per game with 4.16, the redshirt junior has proven to be a top defender in the country.
Ohio State Buckeyes guard Kennedy Cambridge (3) and Ava Watson (5) celebrate near the end of the second half of the NCAA basketball game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Value City Arena on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio.
Cambridge also scored 20 points, notching a career-high five 3-pointers, and finished just behind center Elsa Lemmila’s game-high 23 points.
Advertisement
Despite the Buckeyes having forward Kylee Kitts back for the first time in six games, Lemmila was their main producer down low, recording career highs in points and rebounds (nine).
“Her presence was crucial against a really good Oregon team,” Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. “Part of us getting better as a team has been her evolution. We saw where she was to start the year, and where she is now, and she’s lightyears ahead of that.”
In the first quarter, Ohio State went on a 10-2 run across three minutes to pull ahead 11 points, with five points coming off turnovers.
Oregon began breaking through Ohio State’s press and went on a 7-2 run to pull within four points by the end of the first quarter.
Ohio State Buckeyes center Elsa Lemmilä (12) dribbles the ball around Penn State Nittany Lions guard Shayla Smith (24) in the first half of the NCAA basketball game at Value City Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio.
The attempt at a comeback was short-lived, as the Buckeyes held Oregon to seven points in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 34-25 lead.
Advertisement
The Buckeyes are off for the next six days before returning to the Schottenstein Center for a rematch with No. 22 Maryland (17-6) on Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. Ohio State defeated the Terrapins 89-76 in the first meeting on Jan. 11.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State women’s basketball defeats Oregon to finish West Coast trip
