The Wolverines were up by as many as 16 in the second quarter, but the Buckeyes shot lights out after halftime.
The No. 9 Ohio State women’s basketball returned to the court for only their second ranked game of the season. This time, against their rivals from the north, the No. 25 Michigan Wolverines. After going down 16 points in the second quarter, the Buckeyes erased the deficit and defeated the Wolverines 84-77 to stay undefeated on the season behind 29 points from Jaloni Cambridge and two huge plays by Taylor Thierry.
From the jump, Michigan had nearly everything going their way. The Wolverines hit 3-of-5 to start the game. Ohio State responded and tied the game at six, but then Michigan went on a 6:15 run to finish the quarter without another miss. The made shots were due in part to loose Scarlet and Gray defense on the perimeter.
Michigan guard Greta Kampschroeder hit her first two, already eclipsing her 1.3 made threes per game entering Wednesday with her attempts. It was nearly 10 minutes before Michigan would miss a shot, 7:57 into the second quarter.
In the home side’s run, the shooting for Ohio State lacked high-percentage chances, opting to take on defenders in the paint and see what happened. Most of the time, it was a missed layup and possession for the Wolverines.
Freshman point guard Jaloni Cambridge started 0-of-3 but recovered, along with stellar play from her older sister Kennedy Cambridge. Jaloni Cambridge hit a three-point shot and then assisted her sister on the next offensive drive. Off the inbound, Kennedy Cambridge stole the ball and hit a layup to bring the game to within two points for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State’s struggles continued, and Michigan showed no signs of cooling down. The Buckeyes offensively weren’t successful at running plays, and if an open player was found, the shot didn’t land.
At halftime, Ohio State was outshot 69.2% to 38.2%, entering the locker room down 44-31. That’s despite the Buckeyes having a +6 turnover margin, forcing 10 from the home side. Michigan’s half court defense made the first half a forgetful one for the Scarlet and Gray.
Outside of those turnovers, there wasn’t many positives for head coach Kevin McGuff’s side to build off for the second half. Michigan shot 7-of-11 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes, already eclipsing their total in six of the Wolverines’ previous 14 games.
Whether it was a halftime talk or the outside cold finally hitting the arms of the Wolverines, but out of halftime, the Buckeyes began to chip away at the Michigan lead. The moves inside the paint from the first half were working better in the second, with junior Cotie McMahon and Jaloni Cambridge each getting their chances and landing them.
Defensively, Ohio State made shooting more difficult for the Wolverines and the Buckeyes scored 14 of the first 17 points of the quarter. It brought the game to a single possession for the visitors, and put a rowdy first half crowd in a little quieter of a mood.
What helped was the Buckeyes laying off the full court press. Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico had her side ready for the pressure, and the Maize and Blue used quick passing and perimeter shooting to neutralize it. Working in the half court, those open looks were fewer and further between.
With 1:50 remaining in the third quarter, the Buckeyes erased the 13-point halftime deficit completely. Guard Chance Gray and Jaloni Cambridge led the comeback, scoring a combined 18 points in the third quarter, with Gray going 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, including the shot that tied the game at 53-53, requiring a timeout from Barnes Arico.
Out of the timeout, Michigan were aggressive and pulled ahead by four points. McMahon had the final shot of the quarter, a layup attempt under pressure, but missed the shot and heard no whistle.
In the fourth, Ohio State had more answers on offense, but Michigan answered them all. For the first four minutes of the quarter, the UM lead floated around five points until Gray took the game in her hands. After getting the game to within two points, the junior was fouled on a layup and tied the game from the free throw line.
Jaloni Cambridge followed it up with a layup of her own after Michigan went ahead two. Then, Taylor Thierry gave Ohio State their first lead of the game. The Wolverines made a pass on the perimeter and the senior anticipated it for a fast break layup.
The Buckeyes increased that lead to four points but an open three in the corner by Olivia Olson put the game to within one point. After a blowout first half, the game had an ending deserving of the ranked matchup and rivalry.
Thierry continued the heroics with a huge block, up two points. Olson went up for a midrange attempt and Thierry blocked the shot from behind. On the subsequent possession, Cambridge hit a midrange jumper off the backboard to put the game to a four-point Ohio State advantage.
Out of halftime, McGuff put the game in his starter’s hands, not substituting any of the five players in the final two quarters. They rewarded their coach with 63.3 percent shooting from the floor in the second half. Cambridge leading all scorers with 29 points. Gray was behind the freshman with 16 points and McMahon added 11.
Olson led Michigan scorers with 20 points but fouled out in the closing minutes.
What’s Next
The Buckeyes return home Sunday when they welcome new Big Ten side Oregon. The Ducks are 11-4 at the time of publishing and preparing to face the Penn State Nittany Lions in State College, Pennsylvania on Thursday.
Ohio State and Oregon have only ever played two games against each other, but the latest came in recent memory. On Dec. 21, 2022, the Buckeyes defeated the Ducks 84-67 behind 25 points from former-Duck and eventual-Buckeye Taylor Mikesell. In that game, then-Oregon freshman Chance Gray scored four points, but now calls Columbus home with the Buckeyes.
Sunday is the first game for Gray to play against her former school since transferring in the offseason.