Buckeye Basketball Slams Bobcats Behind Big Night from Freshmen

Ohio State's full-court press worked its wonders after a brief hiatus.

Ohio State Buckeyes guard Jaloni Cambridge (22) dribbles past Charlotte 49ers guard Alexis Andrews (4) during the first half of the NCAA women's basketball game at Value City Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It was the Buckeyes who roared in Athens Wednesday.

Thanks to a hot start, Ohio State never trailed against Ohio University, defeating the Bobcats 106-42 in southeast Ohio without its leader junior Cotie McMahon. Behind the freshman tandem of Jaloni Cambridge and Elsa Lemmilä, the Buckeyes took control early and dominated the glass on both ends of the floor, eclipsing 100 points for the second time this season.

McMahon was seen in a walking boot pregame.

Ohio State started the game 17-0 behind a suffocating press; in fact, the Bobcats didn’t score their first points until more than five minutes in. This was a complete reversal of Sunday’s matchup against Belmont, where the Buckeyes struggled to score in the beginning.

Cambridge had 10 first-quarter points, taking advantage of the open lanes Ohio was giving her. The Bobcats started in a matchup zone and further rotated to a 2-3 or man, but they couldn’t find much success in stopping Ohio State with any style of defense.

Despite all this, OU only trailed by 15 after the first.

The second quarter seemed to be worse for the Bobcats, however — Bob Boldon’s squad scored just seven points in the second.

Cambridge, who had the chance to start alongside her sister Kennedy Cambridge for the first time in college, had 19 points in the first half to go along with two points and assists and four steals. The Bobcats had 19 points as a team heading into the locker room.

Lemmilä also dominated in the first half — picking up five rebounds, including four offensive, and posting nine points. At a certain point, the Bobcats didn’t bother boxing out the 6-foot-7 freshman, who posted a first career double-double with a game-high 21 points and 14 rebounds, to go along with five blocks Wednesday night.

Ohio State held a 40-point lead at the half; this came a game after they scored 67 total points in Nashville.

Ohio State Buckeyes guard Chance Gray (21) celebrates making a three pointer during the NCAA women's basketball game against the Charlotte 49ers at Value City Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. Gray tied a school record with nine threes in the game. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Buckeyes only extended their lead in the third — a day after the Ohio State men’s basketball team won by 50 over Evansville, the women’s team led by as many as 52 through three quarters. Halfway through the quarter, five of the nine Buckeyes in the rotation Wednesday reached double-digit scoring.

The Bobcats’ box score was ugly, to say the least. They had 32 turnovers to their 12 made field goals and allowed the Buckeyes to haul in 31 offensive rebounds and another 28 on the defensive glass.

On the other hand, Ohio State continued to dominate down low by penetrating the Bobcats’ zone, scoring 54 in the paint on the night. In addition, they scored 40 off those 32 forced turnovers — it seemed head coach Kevin McGuff addressed the press and inside scoring to a higher degree after their four-point win Sunday.

Freshman Ava Watson, although seeing the floor for over 20 minutes, started 0-for-10 from 3-point range before hitting back-to-back 3's late in the game. The freshmen combined for 50 points.

The Buckeyes return to action in Columbus for the first time in nearly two weeks Sunday against Bowling Green at 1 p.m., streaming on Big Ten Plus.