Jaloni Cambridge knows her performance against Notre Dame was an improvement from last year’s NCAA Tournament loss, but she still walked away saying she “didn’t do enough.”
No. 3 seed Ohio State fell 83-73 to the No. 6 seed Fighting Irish in the second round at the Schottenstein Center on March 23, despite Cambridge matching her career-high 41 points.
“Forty-one doesn’t matter with an L,” Cambridge said. “We wanted to win. I could have scored zero and got the win, I would have been satisfied.”
The loss extended the Buckeyes’ second-round losing streak, as they became the first team in NCAA Tournament history to lose three straight on their home court.
After opening the game with an 11-0 run, with Cambridge scoring seven of those points in the two-minute stretch, the Buckeyes began to fall apart. Ohio State recorded 21 turnovers, which led to 25 points for Notre Dame.
The sophomore accounted for seven of those turnovers, one less than the eight she committed during Ohio State’s 82-67 loss to Tennessee in the second round of the 2025 tournament.
“We just weren’t taking care of the ball,” Cambridge said. “I mean, it’s Notre Dame, but we’ve been dealing with that all season, just not taking care of the ball. We just needed to make smarter plays.”
The Buckeyes finished well over their season-average of 13.6 turnovers, in part because they were facing one of the nation’s top defenders in Hannah Hidalgo. The Notre Dame point guard finished with 23 points. Her eight steals and 13 rebounds proved to be more crucial in the matchup.
Going into the tournament, Cambridge wanted to avoid pressuring herself the way she did during her freshman postseason. She said after the loss that she was indeed in a better headspace than last year.
However, Cambridge still took responsibility for the loss.
“Like I said early in the year, I’d do anything for this team,” Cambridge said. “I love them to death. … With the people I was surrounded with, this was one of the best seasons I’ve had, especially in college.”
While Cambridge had some struggles against Notre Dame, her teammates provided virtually no help.
No other Buckeye scored in double digits, with center Elsa Lemmila and guard Chance Gray both coming the closest, recording nine points each.
“I feel bad for her [Cambridge],” said Ohio State guard and Jaloni’s sister, Kennedy Cambridge. “She should have made it out of the round of 32 twice. But she’s only going to continue to do these things.”
bmackay@dispatch.com
@brimackay15
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jaloni Cambridge unsatisfied with NCAA Tournament performance vs Notre Dame
Reporting by Brianna Mac Kay, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
