No. 10 Ohio State (14-0, 3-0 Big Ten) continued its perfect streak to start the season with a 92-62 blowout of Northwestern (7-8, 0-4 Big Ten) on Sunday.
From the very first minute, it seemed as though the sub .500 Wildcats were outmatched by the undefeated Buckeyes. In the first 1:39, Ohio State forced four turnovers. The Buckeyes’ high-pressure defense fueled a 7-0 scoring run to open the game.
Northwestern senior guard Melannie Daley helped provide a response with four straight points, but freshman guard Jaloni Cambridge and junior forward Cotie McMahon combined for five points to put the Buckeyes back up 12-6.
Ohio State struggled to maintain the phenomenal defensive start it had in the first two minutes, but two made 3-point shots from freshman guard Ava Watson and 10 first-quarter free throws helped the Buckeyes extend their lead to 27-17 heading into the second quarter.
Despite a pair of buckets made by Daley, the Buckeyes managed to extend their lead to 36-21 after a layup from McMahon at the 7:25 mark. Junior guard Chance Gray scored five points in the first 2:02 of the second quarter to continue the team’s offensive efficiency.
The Buckeyes cooled down offensively with a 2:36 scoring drought in the middle of the second quarter, but Cambridge made that rut short-lived with a fast-break layup.
Three straight Wildcat free throws trimmed the Buckeye lead to 46-31 with 2:32 to go in the first half, but Watson forced a steal and found McMahon for a layup before making her third three of the game to give Ohio State a 51-31 lead with less than a minute to go before halftime. The Wildcats answered with an and-1 layup with 29 seconds left, but McMahon ended the first half on a high note with a layup to give the Buckeyes a 53-34 halftime advantage.
After three early points from junior forward Grace Sullivan it appeared as though the Wildcats would get out to a hot start in the third quarter. Instead, the Buckeyes scored seven straight points, all of which were scored or assisted on by Cambridge, to take a 62-37 lead.
Head coach Kevin McGuff inserted four players into the game off of his bench at the 3:42 mark with the Buckeyes up 67-41. Thanks to two more three-pointers by Watson and two baskets from freshman center Elsa Lemmilä, the Buckeyes were just as strong offensively. Ohio State scored 10 points in the last two minutes to take a 77-43 lead into the fourth quarter.
Eboni Walker entered the game to start the fourth quarter to make it all five bench players on the court for McGuff. The backups didn’t play with any less intensity than the starters and behind nine combined points from redshirt sophomore guard Kennedy Cambridge and Lemmilä, the Buckeyes held a 88-49 lead with 6:04 to go in the game.
Northwestern had a strong finish to the game offensively, but Ohio State wrapped up its 14th straight win with a 30-point edge.
The Buckeyes had five scorers in double figures in the win, but Jaloni Cambridge led the team in scoring with 20 points while shooting 8-of-12 from the field. McMahon wasn’t far behind Cambridge’s lead, she scored 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting. Cambridge did much more than just put the ball in the basket though, she also led the team with three assists and six rebounds.
As a team, the Buckeyes had a solid shooting night from the field, connecting on 32-of-69 shots (46.4 percent). Despite losing by 30, Northwestern also made 46.4 percent of its field goals and shot 26-of-56 from the field.
The Wildcats were led by guard Kyla Jones in scoring, who finished the game with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
