No. 11 Ohio State women’s basketball held off Nebraska, defeating the Cornhuskers 90-71 on Feb. 1 at the Schottenstein Center.
Here are three takeaways from the Buckeyes’ victory:
Jaloni Cambridge continues to be a game changer for Ohio State
After pulling ahead by 20 points in the third quarter, the Buckeyes (20-3) began to make simple errors that allowed Nebraska to get back into the game. Ohio State committed four turnovers and three fouls during an 18-4 Cornhuskers run that cut their deficit to 66-62 with 8:10 left to play.
Ohio State’s risk of losing its lead quickly dissolved once point guard and team-leading scorer Jaloni Cambridge took over.
Pouring in 11 points within four minutes, while also notching three assists, Cambridge gave the Buckeyes another 16-point cushion entering the final 3:30.
Cambridge finished with her fourth 30-plus-point performance of the season. She recorded 30 points and six assists. Cambridge, who averaged 15.4 points per game as a freshman and who was averaging 19.5 points per game this season as of Jan.1, is currently averaging 22.5, which ranks second in the Big Ten.
She has proven to be clutch. Ohio State has gone 8-1 since its win over Rutgers on Jan. 4, and in five of those victories, Ohio State trailed by 5 points or more at some point. Cambridge made the go-ahead basket in all but one of OSU’s comebacks.
Ohio State has strong performance in half-court defense
Coach Kevin McGuff has wanted the Buckeyes to improve their half-court defense all season, and Ohio State made it happen against one of the most consistent shooting teams in the nation.
The Cornhuskers (16-6) entered with the country’s seventh-highest shooting percentage, going 49.6% from the field. With team-leading scorer Britt Prince limited to 12 points on four made field goals, Nebraska was held 9% below its average.
The Buckeyes grabbed 13 steals and forced 21 turnovers. Most of their stops were made near the Cornhuskers’ basket rather than in the press.
Ohio State adjusted smoothly to rotating its defense despite its starting lineup being two inches shorter than Nebraska’s on average. The height disadvantage was due to the Buckeyes missing starting forward Kylee Kitt, who is sidelined with a shoulder injury.
Win over Nebraska crucial during Ohio State’s toughest month of the regular season
The Nebraska game was the first of seven for Ohio State in February, all against teams with winning percentages above 59.1%.
Ohio State’s lowest-ranked opponent on the upcoming schedule is USC, which is 12th in the Big Ten. While the Trojans are 5-6 in conference games, they have started to pick up steam and beat No. 8 Iowa 81-69 on Jan. 29.
Starting the challenging month with a victory is important, but it has to carry into the Buckeyes’ West Coast road trip, which begins against Washington (17-5) on Feb. 5.
On Feb. 8, Ohio State travels to Oregon before getting a bye week to travel back to Columbus.
bmackay@dispatch.com
@brimackay15
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 3 takeaways from No. 11 Ohio State women’s 90-71 victory over Nebraska
Reporting by Brianna Mac Kay, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
