The freshman led the Buckeyes with 31 points to open her NCAA career
The basketball season returned to the Schottenstein Center Tuesday night. Ohio State women’s basketball opened the arena back up and those skipping election coverage saw a show from freshman Jaloni Cambridge. The guard scored 31 points in her NCAA debut as the Buckeyes defeated the Cleveland State Vikings 104-69.
If freshmen are supposed to be nervous in their first college games, the Buckeyes’ new batch of first-year players weren’t told. After Ohio State went down early, allowing a three-pointer from Cleveland State’s prolific deep shooter Mickayala Perdue, it was all the Scarlet and Gray, with point guard Jaloni Cambridge leading the charge.
The No. 2 overall 2024 prospect Cambridge went 4-for-4 in the first quarter, leading the Buckeyes with eight points and four steals. The Ohio State press looked right at home with the freshman at the helm, forcing 10 turnovers and scoring 10 points off those changes in possession.
Scoring runs of nine and 11 points put the Buckeyes up 17 points quickly, allowing head coach Kevin McGuff to be more flexible with using his roster depth.
Coming in from the bench first was Finnish freshman center Elsa Lemmilä. Within the first minute on the court, Lemmilä had two blocks, showing what she can do defensively with a 6-foot-6 frame.
The freshmen weren’t the only newcomers making an impact, starting for the Buckeyes were a pair of upperclassmen transfers in forward Ajae Petty and guard Chance Gray. Starting at shooting guard, Gray didn’t score in the first half but had four assists and two steals.
However, Petty was used early by McGuff, opting to go into the paint and letting the forward try to establish a presence in the paint, scoring five points and adding four rebounds.
Cleveland matched the pressure at the rim, making things difficult for Petty who went 2-for-6 in the post. The Vikings had six blocked shots in the paint, not giving Ohio State much room to work, so they moved to the outside.
Cambridge followed up her perfect first quarter by making her first two attempts from deep in the second. Cotie McMahon joined the freshman, showing off an improved deep game, making two in the first half and only going up for one layup attempt.
Forward Taylor Thierry added seven first-half points herself, and the Buckeyes went into the halftime locker room up 42-24.
To start the second half, Cleveland State tried to increase the intensity. It worked but Cambridge and McMahon kept up the pressure. Showing her range of offensive ability, Cambridge attacked the basket after spending a quarter shooting midrange and another from deep. The freshman made it to the line three times, going 4-for-4.
McMahon continued to spread the Vikings’ defense three-point shots. The junior was perfect on both attempts in the third quarter and the two offensive threats for Ohio State scored 20 of the Buckeyes’ 24 points in the quarter.
For the fourth quarter, Vikings’ guard Perdue continued as the CSU athlete keeping the deficit within 30 points. Perdue wasn’t too far behind Cambridge in scoring, with 24 of her 31 points in the second half.
Even so, McGuff kept his starters in to start the fourth. Joining the offensive attack was Gray, who was kept off the scoreboard until the final 10 minutes. That’s when the Oregon transfer led Ohio State with eight points, going 3-for-3 from the floor and making both attempts from beyond the arc.
With 4:45 remaining though, McGuff brought in his depth and gave the starting five a break to end the game. With an Ava Watson jumper late in the fourth quarter, all 10 available Buckeyes made a shot on the opening night of the season.
The Hype is Real
This summer, coach McGuff warned about not hyping up the dynamic freshman too much. After Cambridge’s debut performance, it’s going to be even more difficult to achieve that goal.
Cambridge led Ohio State in scoring on the night but also did it with high efficiency. The freshman went 12-for-14 from the floor and added 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks.
Unavailable
Before the game started, Ohio State had four players listed out for the game. Forwards Faith Carson, Ella Hobbs, and Seini Henry, along with guard Kaia Henderson didn’t suit up. Of the group, only Hobbs didn’t fully practice last week, still returning from injury.
The remaining three names not available could mean potential redshirt situations. Henderson, entering her third year as a Buckeye, and Carson, in her second, haven’t made their way into the Ohio State rotation in their time at Columbus. For Henry, she’s entering into a crowded forward group.
What’s Next
The Buckeyes are off for a week, returning back to the court on Tuesday, Nov. 12 against the Charlotte 49ers. It’s only the second time the two sides met in program history, with Ohio State defeating Charlotte in Dec. 19, 2011.