The one stat that follows Ohio State women’s basketball is that they made it to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament for three straight years, only to lose on home court. After consecutive tough ends to Buckeye seasons, media and voters have been hesitant to shower the Scarlet and Gray with any preseason praise.
Fortunately for head coach Kevin McGuff’s side, praise does not win basketball games. However, point guard Jaloni Cambridge is responsible for winning a game or two in her two years at Ohio
State.
Now in year three, how has the guard improved her game and how far can she take the Buckeyes?
Name: Jaloni Cambridge
Position: Guard
Class: Junior
High School: Montverde Academy H.S. (Montverde, Florida)
2025-26 Stats: 23.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.4 apg, 49.4 FG%, 36.0 3PT FG%, 82.4 FT%
Last Season
Cambridge entered the 25-26 with team leadership firmly in her hands. The point guard’s freshman season was a crash course of learning to adjust to the size of college players and learning to play alongside other athletes who were also the big names at their high schools and academies.
From the performances Cambridge exhibited last season, it was clear that she was trying to do it all for the Buckeyes. Cambridge led the team in scoring in 26 of 32 games and all but five Big Ten games.
In seven matchups, Cambridge scored at least 30 points and twice scored 41 points. Those games were also not against mid-majors in the non-conference schedule. Six of the seven games were against Power Four opponents, which included the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the NCAA Tournament’s Second Round.
The first came against the Illinois Fighting Illini when the point guard completely took over the second half against another young and talented side led by then sophomore Berry Wallace. In front of Cambridge’s favorite WNBA player A’ja Wilson, who sat court side at the game in Champaign, Illinois, Cambridge was unstoppable in the second half.
All season, Cambridge showed that the moment was never too big. Against the Michigan Wolverines, down three points with less than one second left, Cambridge got to the foul line and hit all three free throws to get the Buckeyes to overtime, where the Wolverines ultimately capitalized on a rushed final offensive possession by Ohio State.
Through the play of Cambridge, the Buckeyes were one of only two Big Ten teams to play within 10 points of the eventual national champions in the UCLA Bruins. Although in the Big Ten Tournament against the Bruins, Cambridge was caught doing too much for the Buckeyes and head coach Cori Close was ready through center Lauren Betts.
The 6-foot-7 center who won the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year was on Cambridge when she went inside and made the game difficult for the then sophomore.
Even so, the success of a fourth place finish in a competitive Big Ten conference for a team full of underclassmen points back to the play of Cambridge.
The point guard ended the season atop the Big Ten scoring numbers with 813 points and 23.2 points per game. It earned her spots on the Coaches and Media First Team All-Big Ten and an Associated Press Second Team All-American honor.
What to Expect
A better question for Cambridge is what not to expect from the dynamic junior. At 5’7, she can’t dunk. That’s about it. Cambridge is still a three-level scorer, she is still fast and she still plays strong on the defensive end of the court.
What will be different is the guard’s strength overall. In the offseason, the guard said she spent more time in the gym lifting weights than she did on the basketball court, which means a lot considering the work she puts in on the practice court.
“I really made an emphasis to get stronger this year, and it’ll definitely show on my body,” Cambridge told reporters. “I felt great, and the results from just like with our strength coach Claire [Quebedeaux]. I mean, you should really see my numbers from last year to this year. I feel faster. I feel so much better than I did last year, and I’m healthier now. So with my Achilles and everything, everything feels good.”
The guard’s offensive focuses are on deep shooting and assists. Cambridge was not satisfied with her 3.9 attempted three-point shots per game and 36.0% of her attempts.
That has already bumped up after only three games of the 26-27 regular season. Cambridge attempted 5.7 shots from deep and hit 2.0 per game. Against the Central Michigan University Chippewas, Cambridge showed she is still fine with taking over a game sometimes.
Cambridge she scored 15 points in the first quarter on 4-of-5 shooting and she still added in four assists.
Also expect a jump in leadership ability. Ohio State was young last year and it was a crash course for the then sophomore point guard. In year three, the poise of being a leader and running the game on and off the court shows in Cambridge, but granted it came against sides where the Scarlet and Gray did not face a lot of adversity.
Prediction
It is hard to imagine Jaloni Cambridge being better, but in year two of being a formal leader on the roster, she will impact games even more.
There will still be blistering runs to the basket but Cambridge’s game will be smarter. The point guard won’t force her game inside but instead force opponents to adjust to her adjustments.
If the team around Cambridge stays healthy, the offensive load will not solely be atop her shoulders, like it was last season.
The two key areas to watch in Cambridge’s growth will be how she gets those teammates involved in games. It is still far too early to say its worked but the guard’s assists are up from 4.4 last season to 6.0 per game in the 26-27 season.
Also, the guard’s scoring is down, but Cambridge will tell anyone who asks that a win with her scoring less points is better than a loss with her atop the stat sheet in the points column.
An added source of motivation for Cambridge is playing her last season alongside sister Kennedy Cambridge. Now, Jaloni Cambridge does not need much in the motivation department but the two said their goal is to get to at least the Sweet Sixteen.
There is also a pair of big games in Columbus in March when Nationwide Arena hosts the Final Four a few miles away from the Ohio State campus. Jaloni Cambridge has the ability to lead the program to new heights, but she won’t be able to do it alone.
Highlights
Watch highlights from Cambridge’s career high scoring game against the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Miss any player previews? Here’s the list so far:
- Ava Watson
- Adriana Díaz
- Sydney Mobley
- Kennedy Cambridge
- Bryn Martin
- Ella Hobbs
- Atlee Vanesko
- Seini Henry
- Kylee Kitts
- Elsa Lemmilä
