Elsa Lemmil? (12) after the 88-86 loss against Michigan. Credit: Cassandra D’Angelo | Lantern Photographer.
With an eight-point lead and 1:33 left in overtime, the Buckeyes held a firm advantage with a rowdy Wednesday night crowd behind them.
But two turnovers and four straight empty offensive possessions gave the Michigan Wolverines the ball tied at 86, able to take the final shot.
Olivia Olson streaked into the low block with three seconds left and got the ball and fired. Game.
No. 13 Ohio State fell to rival No. 8 Michigan 88-86 at the Schottenstein Center, dropping to 23-6 overall and 12-5 in conference.
“It’s a tough loss because we played really hard,” head coach Kevin McGuff said. “We poured a lot into it and just came up a little bit short.”
Before Olson sealed the Buckeyes’ fate, Jaloni Cambridge took the ball down the court for what could have been the final possession in a tie game.
Instead of dribbling down the clock to get the final shot, a play was developed to give Bryn Martin a 3-point shot with 11 seconds left.
Front iron.
Ohio State failed to grab the offensive board and let one of the Big Ten’s best scoring offenses set the table for a win.
“We went a little quick, but we wanted to make sure we got a good shot, which we did, so we got an open shot and it just didn’t go in,” McGuff said.
Although the Buckeyes didn’t end the way they wanted, they couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.
With the clock hitting zero in the first quarter, a Chance Gray 3-pointer gave the Buckeyes a commanding 28-14 lead.
Ohio State shot 50 percent in the first quarter, partially due to Bryn Martin’s three 3-pointers that sparked the run.
But the high-powered Wolverine offense fought back in the second quarter, making it a one-point, 40-39 deficit heading into halftime.
“We knew going into the game that this was going to be a game of runs,” Jaloni Cambridge said. “They’re a very good team and they’ve proven that every time.”
Olson led the way for Michigan, especially in the second quarter when she scored 15 of the Wolverines’ 25 points.
Michigan’s season leader in scoring led the Wolverines again, contributing a career-high 31 points on 12-of-24 shooting.
“She’s a great player,” McGuff said. “Until we switched some things up and started to crowd her a little bit, she was having her way around the basket.”
A slow start to the third quarter, including a 0-for-9 drought over five and a half minutes, left the Buckeyes trailing 50-43.
Seven turnovers were forced, but the offense was still outscored 22-13 in the third quarter, leading to a 61-53 Michigan lead heading into the fourth.
A Kennedy Cambridge 3-pointer helped Ohio State get within striking distance, but being outpaced and missing a shot with seconds left to tie the game, hope was lost.
Up 74-71 on a baseline inbound with only seconds left, the No. 8 Wolverines virtually had the game put away against their rivals.
Unfortunately for Michigan, Jaloni Cambridge had other plans. She jumped the inbound pass, turned around and drew a shooting foul.
0.6 seconds. Three free throws. One miss and the game was over.
As everyone held their breath, Cambridge knocked down the first two free throws.
“I’ll do anything for this team to get the win, I’ll sacrifice anything,” Jaloni Cambridge said. “If I have to play the whole game plus overtime, I’ll do whatever it takes.”
The third shot fell, and the Buckeyes forced overtime.
Cambridge finished with 22 points on 6-of-20 shooting, taking sole possession as the conference’s top scorer, averaging 23.1 points per game.
Yet even after jumping out to an 86-78 lead in overtime with 1:33 left, and with three of Michigan’s five starters fouling out, it wasn’t enough.
Guard Macy Brown scored all eight of her points in the remaining time, paving the way for Olson’s game-winner.
“We play aggressively and we had some opportunities there, but we certainly could have shrunk the clock a little bit,” McGuff said.
Teetering on the edge of hosting the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament and fighting for positioning in the Big Ten Tournament, the Buckeyes will finish their regular season Sunday at No. 15 Michigan State.
“We’ve got to learn where we could have been better, get a little rest tomorrow and then start to get prepared for a really good Michigan State team,” McGuff said.
