The Buckeyes were no turkeys on Thanksgiving day, dispatching the side from the Virginia coast.
Ohio State women’s basketball forward Ajae Petty had a breakout game as a Buckeye, scoring 24 points and adding 11 rebounds in a 70-47 win over the Old Dominion Monarchs.
From the jump, both teams looked rusty. Either adjusting to travel and new accommodations, feeling each other out, or a combination of both, the two teams combined for 14 total points in the quarter, with Ohio State having the edge and building a six-point lead.
At one point, the two sides combined to go 0-for-12 from the floor in over three minutes of game time.
In the second quarter, the Scarlet and Gray began to hit its stride, especially in the play of Petty. The forward became a favorite outlet for Jaloni Cambridge, connecting with Petty three times in the second quarter.
Petty also scored on her own, making an impressive play on an inbound pass from Cambridge. After receiving the pass, Petty made it look like she was handing it back off to Cambridge, near the corner, but instead turned and ran up the baseline to go under and around the basket with a layup.
It was part of a 10-point quarter for Petty, where the first eight points of the quarter were scored by the forward.
Defensively, the Buckeyes were as effective in the second quarter as they were in the first, holding the Monarchs to 4-of-14 shooting in the second quarter. It took a little time to get the press going for head coach Kevin McGuff’s side, but when they did they forced 21 turnovers in the first 20 minutes of the game.
Ohio State extended that six-point first-quarter lead to 20 going into the halftime locker room, with Utah State looking on in the crowd at the Daytona Beach Classic.
Petty continued her stellar play in the paint into the third quarter, leading the Buckeyes on a four-point run to start the quarter. The Monarchs responded, going on a five-point run which was the first time in the game that Old Dominion hit multiple baskets in a row.
That began a run where ODU took advantage of Ohio State’s physicality and got to the line. The Monarchs hit five free throws in the quarter, which is a lot compared to having only two attempts in the first half.
It took the Scarlet and Gray out of their rhythm and Old Dominion 12 of the next 18 points. Even so, it only brought their deficit down to 17 points at its lowest of the quarter. Ohio State has the cushion to make mistakes heading into the fourth quarter with a 50-31 lead.
A bright spot of the quarter was senior forward Taylor Thierry hitting a milestone. With 3:44 remaining in the quarter, the guard/forward hybrid played a give-and-go, getting the ball back and hitting a fadeaway jumper near the basket. It gave Thierry her 1,000th career point, all coming from her time as a Buckeye.
Old Dominion saw the third quarter plan work and did the same to start the fourth quarter. With eight minutes remaining in the game, the Buckeyes already had eight fouls in the second half compared to five total in the first.
Stopping the slow chipping away at the Buckeyes’ lead was Ohio State’s defense turning ODU possessions into fast break opportunities. The younger Cambridge sister responded to each Monarch shot with a layup of her own, and then found her sister Kennedy Cambridge to continue matching every ODU basket. With 6:14 remaining in the game, the Buckeyes’ lead was smaller than it was going into halftime, only leading by 16 points.
Ohio State’s defense won the long game, eventually stringing together enough stops to go on a seven-point run with Petty and Cambridge sharing the scoring load in the paint. It gave the Buckeyes a 23-point lead that wouldn’t be relinquished.
Petty led all scorers on the day with 23 points and 11 rebounds, a new Buckeye career high, and her eighth collegiate game scoring at least 20 points. Jaloni Cambridge had 15 points, with eight coming in the fourth quarter, and six assists. Of those assists, five went to Petty.
What’s Next
The Buckeyes don’t have much time off when they take the court on Friday against the Utah State Aggies. Ohio State and Utah State have never played each other in program histories, but this year there’s good reason to start history with former Ohio State assistant coach Wesley Brooks leading the Aggies in his first season running a program.
Utah State enters Friday’s game with a 1-5 record, with a win over Cal State Bakersfield.