No. 9 Ohio State extends winning streak to 17 games, buck the Badgers 80-69 in Madison

Despite a strong shooting game from beyond the arc for the Badgers, the combo of Chance Gray and Jaloni Cambridge was too much for Wisconsin to handle.

No. 9 Ohio State women’s basketball (17-0, 6-0) traveled north Thursday to face the Wisconsin Badgers (10-8, 1-6). Despite a strong shooting game from deep and a double-double for Serah Williams, guards Chance Gray and Jaloni Cambridge combined for 49 points to defeat the Badgers 80-69.

The strategy for the Wisconsin Badgers was clear in the first half — take the three-point shot. With forward Serah Williams and center Carter McCray taking attention inside the post, Wisconsin guards had an efficient first half that kept the game close for the home side.

In the first quarter, the Badgers went 3-of-7 with guard Tess Myers hitting two, mainly from open looks with the Buckeyes sending help near the basket for the duo of Wisconsin bigs. At the start of the second quarter, Ohio State looked like they adjusted to the deep threat, but it was short-lived, with Wisconsin going 4-of-8 in the second quarter. Myers handed the baton to Lily Krahn, who hit two before halftime.

Deep shooting accounted for 21 of the Badgers’ 32 points in the first quarter. The plan looked similar to what the Michigan Wolverines did against Ohio State in the first half in Ann Arbor on Jan. 8. This time, it didn’t mean the Buckeyes had an uphill battle. Freshman Jaloni Cambridge was a spark in the first half, helping the visitors go up seven points at halftime.

Cambridge scored 19 points in the first half, hitting six shots in a row at one point, going 8-of-10 from the floor. The freshman did it inside the paint, hopping through defenders or running right past them. Then, Cambridge moved to the midrange and also one from beyond the arc.

No matter what the Badgers did to try to stop Cambridge, it didn’t work. The freshman’s play was one of three key areas that stood out in the first two quarters. On top of that, the Buckeyes only gave away one turnover in the first half and Williams scored only five points on 2-of-10 shooting.

In the third quarter, the deep shooting slowed for the home side but with that subsiding, Williams began hitting her stride. Wisconsin’s leading scorer had 15 points in the quarter on 6-of-6 shooting. No matter what the Buckeyes tried, Williams still got to the basket either with a shot or earning whistles.

With 2:12 remaining in the third, Wisconsin cut the Ohio State lead to three points, causing an incensed head coach Kevin McGuff to call a timeout. McGuff complained to the referees about a quarter of basketball where the Buckeyes committed five fouls compared to one for the home side, with Wisconsin playing physically inside the paint.

Regardless of the whistles, Ohio State’s defense struggled in the third quarter, allowing a 53.3 percent shooting quarter for the Badgers. Even with Wisconsin knocking down some shots in the third quarter, the Buckeyes hit timely shots down the stretch and extended their lead back up to nine points by the time the quarter ended, 63-54.

Ohio State lost a key starter to foul trouble with 8:39 left in the game. That’s when Taylor Thierry fouled out. She finished Thursday night’s game with four points on 1-of-3 shooting, plus two rebounds. Most of those five fouls for Thierry came trying to stop Williams. McGuff asked the officiating crew to confirm it was five fouls, with the Ohio State coach believing it was only four. Referees confirmed the five fouls and Thierry was done.

The Buckeyes started the final quarter scoring 10 of the first 13 points, but Wisconsin took advantage of Ohio State losing Thierry’s size inside alongside forward Ajae Petty. In less than two game minutes, the Badgers cut a 16-point Buckeyes lead to 10 points.

Coach McGuff’s side held on and extended the lead out of the fourth quarter media timeout, giving the Buckeyes their 17th game in a row.

Cambridge led Scarlet and Gray scorers with 27 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Gray wasn’t too far behind, scoring 22 points on 5-of-9 shooting from deep. Forward Cotie McMahon scored 17 points, with a lot of skill shown by the junior in her fadeaway midrange shot.

Wisconsin had three players in double figures, with Williams scoring 20 points with an absurd 17 rebounds (five offensive rebounds) against the Scarlet and Gray interior defense. Myers scored 18 points, with all of them coming from beyond the arc.

What’s Next

The Buckeyes are on the road again Sunday, Jan. 19, this time in Pennsylvania to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State is one of four teams without a win in conference play this season.

Ohio State has 15 wins in the last 16 against the Nittany Lions, with the lone loss coming on Feb. 24, 2021, a two-point defeat in University Park.