The Big Ten slate continued for the No. 19 Ohio State women’s basketball team on New Year’s Eve. After a top-20 matchup against the No. 4 UCLA Bruins, Wednesday’s opponent was on the other side of the conference standings in the Purdue Boilermakers. The Buckeye defense forced a lot of Purdue basketball drops hours before the ball drops in New York City, and Ohio State returned home with a 83-56 victory.
First quarter
Purdue started the game strong on the boards and out-rebounded the Buckeyes 12-5 in the first quarter.
Now, that would usually spell trouble for teams, but not Ohio State. Head coach Kevin McGuff’s side brought defensive pressure from the jump and forced nine turnovers.
Offensively, the Buckeyes had a hot start from deep, a source of frustration for the team over the start of the season. Ohio State entered with a 27.7% efficiency rate from beyond the arc, but began Wednesday on a 3-of-4 run from three-point range. With 1:15 remaining, Ohio State had already built a 17-point lead against its neighbors from Indiana.
Head coach Katie Gearlds’ Boilermakers responded with a seven-point run, including two fast break baskets to cut the deficit to 10 points, but Ohio State was not done yet. Point guard Jaloni Cambridge received the inbound pass with just over four seconds remaining, and the sophomore made her way near the three-point line and banked in a deep shot at the buzzer to cap off a quarter with 11 points, 4 assists, and 2 steals.
Second quarter
The Buckeyes started the second quarter with a cold streak offensively and began on a 2-of-7 shooting. However, the defense did not lose a step from the first quarter, and the half-court defense improved to match the full-court press. Purdue missed their first 11 shots from the floor and only added eight points through free throws until 1:03 remaining in the quarter.
Ohio State increased its lead with a nine-point run in three game minutes, but over the final four minutes, the Buckeyes only added six points. It is no coincidence that Jaloni Cambridge struggled to see shots fall in the quarter, as did the team as a whole. The guard went 0-of-5 from the floor and did not score a point in the second quarter.
Even so, Ohio State increased its lead to 19 points at halftime and took a 47-28 lead into the halftime locker room.
Third quarter
To start the third quarter, Ohio State scored seven points to go ahead 26. It looked like the game was headed off the rails but things leveled out for both teams. The two teams traded baskets 12 times and with 2:13 remaining, the Buckeyes’ sat at 25 points.
McGuff used the heavy lead to give some of his starters rest in the quarter. Redshirt freshman Seini Henry played three minutes and both Jaloni and Kennedy Cambridge each got time on the bench.
Fourth quarter
The Buckeyes and Boilermakers went into the fourth quarter without much drama left in the game. Both sides swapped out starters for a chance at youth development further down the bench. However, with 6:51 remaining, Ohio State’s Kennedy Cambridge and Purdue’s Saige Stahl went up for a rebound and Stahl landed on Cambridge’s foot. The junior transfer from Indiana State needed help off the court as she held her lower back.
By then, the Buckeyes once again started the quarter on a five-point scoring run and this time it pushed the lead up to 30 points. The two teams combined to go 1-of-16 shooting through the first 5:16 of the fourth quarter. It looked like both sides counting down to the final buzzer.
Number of the game: 36%
That is the three-point shooting percentage for the Buckeyes. While it is not close to a season high for Ohio State, it is a step in the right direction for a team that looked frustrated with misses since the program returned from the Bahamas at the end of November.
There were five Buckeyes who hit a shot from deep too, with guard Ava Watson leading all players on Ohio State with three makes on three attempts.
Key performers
Ohio State
- Kennedy Cambridge: 16 points, 4 assists, 3 steals
- Jaloni Cambridge: 14 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals, 3 blocks
Purdue
- Madison Layden-Zay: 17 points, 7 rebounds
Up Next
Ohio State is back in the Buckeye state on Sunday. That is when the Rutgers Scarlet Knights head to the Schottenstein Center for the lone matchup between the two sides in the regular season. The last time Rutgers and Ohio State played was on Dec. 29, 2024, when the Buckeyes won 77-63.
McGuff’s side has a five-game winning streak against the Scarlet Knights, and the last three all ended with a double-digit Buckeye victory.
