Ohio State women’s basketball went into halftime down five points against Northern Kentucky, but the efforts of Jaloni Cambridge kept the No. 21 Buckeyes alive and allowed them to pull away for a 94-62 victory on Dec. 11 at Value City Arena.
“I just let the game come to me,” Cambridge said. “I’m not trying to force anything, but if someone is hot, you’ve got to let them be hot.”
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Cambridge finished with a team-leading 33 points and six rebounds while also tacking on four steals to contribute to the Buckeyes’ team-record 27 steals. The Buckeyes scored 46 points off turnovers.
A steal grabbed by forward Kylee Kitts at the 8:52 mark in the third quarter led to the first basket in a 20-4 run by the Buckeyes in the third quarter.
During the third quarter, Cambridge scored 8 points, and fellow sophomore guard Ava Watson added 7 points off the bench.
Ohio State Buckeyes guard Kennedy Cambridge (3) passes the ball behind her back on the ground against Kent State Golden Flashes guard Dionna Gray (12) in the second half at Value City Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio. Cambridge was called out of bounds on the play.
Watson was second in team scoring (13 points) and steals (seven), as guard Kennedy Cambridge guided the defensive charge with a career-high 10 steals.
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“Literally, I’ve seen it my whole life,” Jaloni Cambridge said. “She (Kennedy Cambridge) has always been the pesky defender that you don’t want to guard you. She’s always been like that. … I’m just very proud of her.”
Ohio State’s defense made a small impact in the first half, collecting nine steals and two blocks, though Northern Kentucky hung around after opening the game outscoring the Buckeyes 19-7 in the first five and a half minutes, capitalizing on five Ohio State turnovers.
Maddie Moody and Noelle Hubert combined for 10 of Northern Kentucky’s points during the stretch.
It took until 5:11 remaining in the second quarter for Ohio State to take its first lead, pulling ahead 27-26 off a free throw by Jaloni Cambridge. From that point, Ohio State and Northern Kentucky traded the lead three times before going into halftime.
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“Give them credit, I thought they showed up,” Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. “They were ready to go, and they played really, really well in the first half. And we did not show up with the focus and intensity that we needed to do to impose our will in the game from the start, and they made us pay.”
The Buckeyes return to Value City Arena on Dec. 14 to face Toledo at 1 p.m.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State women’s basketball breaks school record in steals
