Ohio State women’s basketball battled back in the second half to avoid an upset loss vs. Indiana.
The Buckeyes never led in the first half and trailed by as many as 12 points in the third quarter against the Hoosiers, but took control of the game in the final 18 minutes to earn an 81-67 win and avoid suffering their first loss of the season to an unranked opponent.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INDIANA | 21 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 67 |
| #12 OHIO STATE | 17 | 15 | 27 | 22 | 81 |
Despite entering the game as a heavy favorite over the Hoosiers, who are winless in Big Ten play, Ohio State got off to a sluggish start on its home court. Indiana raced out to a 19-4 lead as it scored 14 straight points in a run that included four straight 3-pointers by Lenee Beaumont and Shay Ciezki.
Ohio State responded with a 13-0 run to cut the Hoosiers’ lead to two, but Indiana finished the first quarter with a 21-17 lead. After Ohio State cut the lead to one early in the second quarter, Indiana went on an 18-7 run – with Beaumont and Ciezki scoring all 18 points – to take a 12-point lead before ultimately bringing a 42-32 advantage into halftime.
Indiana scored four of the first six points after halftime to take a 12-point lead, but Ohio State went on a 7-0 run from there to finally start to wrest control of the game from the Hoosiers. After a 1-for-2 trip to the free-throw line for Indiana’s Zania Socka-Nguemen, Ohio State went on a 9-0 run, taking its first lead of the game at 50-47 on a 3-pointer off a steal by Bryn Martin. The Hoosiers tied the game back up multiple times, but Ohio State took a 59-55 lead into the fourth quarter after Jaloni Cambridge finished the third quarter with a pair of made jumpers.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | INDIANA |
|---|---|---|
| 81 | POINTS | 67 |
| 31-64 (48.4%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 22-39 (56.4%) |
| 7-18 (38.9%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 11-17 (64.3%) |
| 12-17 (70.6%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 12-13 (92.3%) |
| 7 | TURNOVERS | 26 |
| 21 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 30 |
| 6 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 2 |
| 15 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 28 |
| 11 | BENCH POINTS | 5 |
| 2 | BLOCKS | 1 |
| 16 | STEALS | 3 |
| 12 | ASSISTS | 9 |
The Buckeyes scored 11 of the first 16 points of the fourth quarter to extend their lead to 10, and Ohio State maintained control of the game from there, ultimately winning the game by 14.
Six different Buckeyes finished the game in double figures: Jaloni Cambridge (22), Kennedy Cambridge (13), Chance Gray (13), Ava Watson (12), Martin (11) and Elsa Lemmilä. Watson made her first start of the season in a four-guard lineup in place of forward Kylee Kitts, who missed the game with a shoulder injury she suffered in Ohio State’s Monday win over TCU.
While Indiana made 56% of its shots from the floor, including 11 of 17 3-point attempts, and went 12 of 13 from the free-throw line, turnovers made the difference for the Buckeyes. Ohio State forced 26 turnovers and turned those takeaways into 34 points while Indiana turned the Buckeyes over just seven times.
With the comeback victory, Ohio State has now won seven straight games and is 18-2 on the season.
The Buckeyes, whose seven-game winning streak includes two top-10 wins over Maryland and TCU, will now hit the road looking for their third top-10 victory of the season as they face No. 10 Iowa in Iowa City on Sunday (2 p.m., Peacock).
