Jaloni Cambridge (22) shoots a free throw in Ohio State’s second round loss to Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament. Credit: Cassandra D’Angelo | Lantern Photographer.
If Ohio State was going to reach its first Sweet 16 in three years, it needed everything from guard Jaloni Cambridge.
She delivered—scoring 41 points on 13-of-25 shooting—but it was not enough.
Despite a career-tying performance from its leading scorer, Ohio State fell to Notre Dame 83-73 Monday at the Schottenstein Center, exiting the NCAA Tournament in the Round of 32 for the third straight season.
“Forty-one doesn’t matter with an L,” Cambridge said. “You want to win. If I could have scored zero and got a win, I would have been satisfied.”
Cambridge set the tone early, knocking down the game’s opening jumper as Ohio State looked poised to contend. But when she was held to just four points in the second quarter, the Buckeyes’ offense stalled alongside her.
Ohio State failed to capitalize on its 22-20 lead entering the second quarter, shooting 6-of-15 from the field in the period as Notre Dame began to take control.
The struggles continued after halftime.
While Cambridge erupted for 28 second-half points, the rest of the Buckeyes combined for just 10, preventing any sustained comeback effort.
“She gave it everything she had tonight,” head coach Kevin McGuff said. “We came up short as a team, but it certainly wasn’t for what Jaloni was giving us and contributing to our team.”
Cambridge shot 5-of-8 from 3-point range, accounting for five of Ohio State’s seven makes from deep, and tied her career high with 41 points.
Still, the lack of offensive support proved too much to overcome.
“[Cambridge], like everybody, played her heart out and gave me everything she had,” McGuff said. “We just weren’t good enough.”
The loss marks the third consecutive season Ohio State has been eliminated in the Round of 32 and Cambridge’s second year as a Buckeye without a Sweet 16 appearance.
“[Jaloni] should have made it out of the Round of 32 twice,” guard Kennedy Cambridge said.
