The last time Ohio State women’s basketball entered the Big Ten Tournament with only a single-round bye, it was in the 2020 season. Head coach Kevin McGuff’s side went all the way to the tournament finale before the Buckeyes fell to the Maryland Terrapins. Now, six years later in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Buckeyes hoped to replicate a road to the tournament championship out of a seed lower than fourth when the No. 5 seed faced the No. 13 Indiana Hoosiers. After a slow start, a big day on the boards
gave Ohio State a win in its first game of the tournament, 83-59.
First quarter
From the jump, Ohio State and Indiana looked as expected, considering the tournament setup. The Buckeyes had been off since Sunday, while the Hoosiers played 24 hours prior. So, it was not as much of a surprise that Ohio State missed its first seven shots from the floor. Nobody in scarlet and gray could seem to get the side out of the funk, and it took 3:08 of the game clock to get onto the scoreboard.
Indiana got off to a slightly slow shooting start, but recovered to take a 12-6 lead after six minutes of basketball.
By the end of the first 10 minutes, the Buckeyes tied the game 12-12 with a six-point run that they built off half-court defense. Ohio State limited the Hoosiers to 0-for-6 shooting in the final 3:26 of the frame. A bright spot early, outside of the response and erased deficit, was the Scarlet and Gray’s rebounding and work in the press. Ohio State won the early rebounding margin 12-9 and forced six turnovers.
Second quarter
Any rust Ohio State carried into the game came off in the second quarter. After Indiana opened scoring, the Buckeyes went on a 12-point run in a quarter, fueled by free throws by point guard Jaloni Cambridge. Ohio State had a 36-24 lead despite a seven-shot streak of misses, but the Buckeye star attacked the basket seemingly each time she went down the court and had four shooting fouls that helped her earn an 8-for-8 quarter from the charity stripe.
Indiana guard Lenee Beaumont had four whistles go against her in the first half, and none of them went to Jaloni Cambridge, which shows how many times the Hoosiers got themselves into foul situations. Indiana had seven in the second quarter and 10 total in the half. That does not mean it was completely one-sided, with six going against Ohio State, just not when Indiana was shooting.
Third quarter
The second half is the time when teams adjust and the game changes. Indiana tried but could not earn the extra possessions needed to try and cut into the lead. While the two sides both had eight rebounds in the quarter, the Buckeyes had eight points off four turnovers, compared to none for the Hoosiers on a single turnover.
When the Hoosiers did have the ball, they made only 28.6% of their shots, compared to a 56.3% quarter for Ohio State. Every Buckeye who got onto the court scored in the frame and Jaloni Cambridge added to her game-leading scoring with seven more points and three rebounds. The point guard was doing everything, which included a block from behind on 6-foot-3 forward Edessa Noyan for the 5-foot-7 Cambridge.
Ohio state stretched the 12-point halftime lead into a 21-point advantage by the end of the quarter and all the Buckeyes needed to do was manage the game in the fourth to move onto the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Fourth quarter
The Buckeyes did not just manage, they kept up the intensity. Indiana looked defeated as the Buckeyes went on a 9-4 run to start the fourth quarter. Indiana’s cold shooting kept going with a 2-for-8 start to the quarter. Indiana went to the line and made their free throws but that was the most offense the team could muster. Halfway through the quarter, with a 28-point lead, McGuff put his starters on the bench minus guard Ava Watson, who followed a minute later.
It was a solemn end to the game for the crowd of Indiana fans, watching guard Shay Ciezki play basketball possibly for the last time. The guard who was behind Jaloni Cambridge in scoring this season with 23.4 points per game went 6-for-20 with 12 points. With 3:22 remaining, head coach Teri Moren took the guard out to a strong round of applause for the two-year Hoosier.
Number of the Game: 18
Ohio State had 18 offensive rebounds, the best in Big Ten play for the Buckeyes this season. While the side did have a 19 and 20-rebound game, they both came in the less than competitive nonconference schedule. When it mattered in the win or go home tournament, the Buckeyes looked up to the task and secured extra possessions from a way other than just forced turnovers.
Now Ohio State faces the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who held the Buckeyes to a season low six offensive boards.
Key performers
Ohio State
- Jaloni Cambridge: 19 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists
- Chance Gray: 18 points, 6 assists
- Elsa Lemmilä: 13 rebounds (6 offense), 3 blocks
Indiana
- Shay Ciezki: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists
- Maya Makalusky: 21 points
Up Next
With the victory, the Buckeyes play another day and take on the No. 4 Minnesota Golden Gophers on Friday around 2:30 p.m. ET. When Ohio State traveled to Minnesota last month, the Golden Gophers did not give up the ball as the Buckeyes intended, and they handed McGuff’s side its second-worst loss of the season in a 74-61 defeat.
