For the second game in a row, Ohio State (22-3, 11-3 Big Ten) blew a double-digit fourth quarter lead, before making enough plays in overtime to defeat Iowa (18-8, 8-7 Big Ten) 86-78.
In a fourth quarter that was eerily similar to its 87-84 overtime win over Minnesota on Feb. 13, Ohio State created a 12-point lead with 1:38 to go, but poor free throw shooting allowed Iowa to get back in the game, and with four 3-point baskets in the final 1:22, the road team did exactly that.
Ohio State didn’t let its regulation slip-ups get the best of it. Head coach Kevin McGuff’s squad outscored Iowa 12-4 in the overtime period.
After making four 3-point shots against Minnesota, Ohio State made four 3-point shots in the first quarter against Iowa on Monday.
The Buckeyes’ prolific 3-point shooting started in the first minute of the game when junior forward Cotie McMahon knocked down a triple to give her team a 5-2 lead. After the Hawkeyes had a 3-point make of their own freshman point guard Jaloni Cambridge made a 3-point jumper at the 6:37 mark which kickstarted a 7-0 scoring run.
Jaloni’s older sister, Kennedy made a pair of 3-point shots in the last 2:15 of the opening frame that gave Ohio State a 22-12 advantage heading into the second quarter.
After a high-scoring first quarter, it was the Buckeyes defense that flexed their muscles in the second quarter. The Buckeyes forced five turnovers in the quarter and allowed the Hawkeyes to shoot just 3-of-13 from the field. Freshman center Elsa Lemmila played in all ten minutes of the second quarter she had a block and five rebounds while only allowing Iowa star center Hannah Stuelke to score 4 points on 2-of-5 shooting in the second quarter.
Although they weren’t quite as efficient offensively making just 3-of-13 shots from the field, the Buckeyes’ lockdown defense helped them extend their lead to 34-21 at halftime.
The Hawkeyes’ offense had a response in the third quarter. First-year head coach Jan Jensen’s squad, made five of their first seven shots of the second half and went on a 13-3 scoring run to cut Ohio State’s lead to 4.
McMahon helped remedy the Buckeyes’ scoring woes with five points in the last minute of the third quarter, but a layup from Iowa forward Addison O’Grady made the score 51-44 heading into the final frame.
The break in action between the third and fourth quarter did little to halt the Hawkeyes’ momentum. Senior guard Kylie Feuerbach led the road team on a 7-2 scoring run by scoring five points in the first 47 seconds of the fourth quarter.
With her team’s lead down to just two points, McMahon made back-to-back layups to make the score 57-51 with 6:52 to go.
Feuerbach made it a one-possession game with a 3-point jumper 55 seconds later, but the Buckeyes answered with six straight points over the next 2:06 to go up 63-54.
The Buckeyes grew their lead to as many as 12 points with only 1:38 to go, but exactly like in their win over Minnesota, they struggled to put their opponents away.
Iowa made back-to-back 3-point shots in a span of 21 seconds and immediately made the score 70-63.
The Buckeyes then made only three of their next six free throws and after a missed layup from Stuelke, senior guard Lucy Olsen made a pair of triples which made the score 73-69. Ohio State had a turnover on its next possession, and after picking up an offensive rebound senior guard Sydney Affolter made a layup and a free throw to make it a one-point game.
McMahon split a pair of free throws on Ohio State’s next possession and with only 3.6 seconds to go she fouled Olsen while she was shooting. Olsen knocked down the free throws to send Ohio State to its second straight overtime game.
In the extra session, McMahon missed two straight field goals before Olsen made a contested layup to put Iowa ahead by two points.
Kennedy Cambridge made one of two free throws for Ohio State one possession later, and after preventing Iowa from scoring on back-to-back trips, Jaloni Cambridge put Ohio State back in front with a layup.
The Buckeyes then forced Iowa into a shot clock violation and Jaloni Cambridge made two free throws to give her team a 79-76 lead.
Olsen responded with her own free throws before McMahon made a layup at 44.5 seconds while being fouled. McMahon missed her chance to put Ohio State ahead two possessions at the free throw line, but the Buckeyes forced Olsen into a miss from 3-point range, and Kennedy Cambridge came up with a clutch block and rebound. Cambridge then found Senior guard Taylor Thierry sprinting toward the basket. Thierry calmly put the ball through the basket to put Ohio State up five. The Buckeyes turned the Hawkeye over one play later and put the finishing touches on the win with three straight free throws.
After fouling out in Ohio State’s win over Minnesota, Jaloni Cambridge led Ohio State with 29 points while shooting 8-of-14 (57.1 percent) from the field. Cambridge also tied for the team lead with four assists, while Lemmila grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
It wasn’t a great start for McMahon, who made just 2 of her first 12 shots, but she arrived when the Buckeyes needed to and finished the game with 25 points on 8-of-21 shooting from the field.
Kennedy Cambridge hadn’t scored a single point in three games for Ohio State, but against Iowa, her 16 points were a new career-high.
Olsen led Iowa with 27 points while shooting 8-of-20 in the loss.
