Jaloni Cambridge takes a knock and sits the second half in the Buckeyes’ second win of the season.
Ohio State women’s basketball announced the addition of program legends Katie Smith and Jacy Sheldon to the coaching staff on Monday. On Tuesday, it was guard Chance Gray taking the spotlight, leading the No. 12 Buckeyes with 31 points, and a program record-tying nine three-pointers, in a 94-53 win over the UNC Charlotte 49ers.
After a slow start in her debut, junior shooting guard Chance Gray established herself early. Ohio State struggled to find shots from the jump, but Gray was effective from deep, hitting three shots from beyond the arc, already eclipsing her eight points last week against Cleveland State.
It seemed to calm Gray’s Buckeye teammates, who ended the quarter on a 14-0 run to go ahead 25-6 after 10 minutes. During that stretch, the 49ers missed nine shots, and wouldn’t score again from the field until the 7:27 mark of the second quarter, over 10 game minutes between run of play baskets.
Charlotte looked like a mid-major team adjusting to a new coach and system. That, and the Buckeyes’ defense held the 49ers to 17 first half points, with six coming from the free throw line.
Freshman point guard Jaloni Cambridge, who started her NCAA career with a 31-point game against the CSU Vikings, had eight points at the end of the first half. Gray led all scorers with 11 points.
On the first offensive drive in the second half, the Buckeyes had a scare when Cambridge went up for a layup. On a fast break off a Charlotte turnover, the freshman went to the basket and was met by Keanna Rembert, who jumped to stop the guard. Cambridge collided with the 6-foot-2 forward, sending the 5-foot-7 Cambridge to the court hard.
Cambridge walked off the court on her own, but bent over and holding around her lower back. The freshman returned to the game before the end of the third quarter.
Charlotte continued being the aggressors, this time offensively. The 49ers went on a 12-2 run before a pair of turnovers slowed down the visitors. On the first, McMahon sent a no-look behind the back pass to Taylor Thierry, raising the volume on what became a somber crowd following the injury.
Gray picked up the scoring slack again, scoring 14 of Ohio State’s 26 points in the third quarter, hitting four from beyond the arc. Gray had a new career single-game scoring high with 31 points, eclipsing her previous record of 22 points as an Oregon Duck.
Cambridge never returned to the game, but the Buckeyes’ defense did. Despite allowing 26 points to Charlotte in the third quarter, Ohio State held Charlotte to 35.2% shooting from the floor overall.
What’s Next
The Buckeyes continue their run of non-Power Five schools when they travel to Nashville, Tennessee to face the Belmont Bruins. Even though Kilyn McGuff transferred to Butler, there’s still a family element to the Sunday 3:00 p.m. ET matchup, with the Cambridge sisters playing in front of their home crowd.
Last season, Ohio State welcomed the Bruins to Columbus , coming away with a 84-55 victory.