Huskers Fall at No. 11 Buckeyes
Huskers.com
Columbus, Ohio - Nebraska trailed by four points with just over six minutes left in the fourth quarter, but No. 11 Ohio State used an 11-0 run over the next two minutes to pull away for a 90-71 women's basketball win over the Huskers at the Schottenstein Center on Sunday evening.
Nebraska slipped to 16-6 and 5-6 in the Big Ten with the loss, while the Buckeyes improved to 20-3 and 9-2 in the conference.
Amiah Hargrove led Nebraska with 24 points and six rebounds, while fellow sophomore
Britt Prince added 12 points, five rebounds and six assists.
Logan Nissley put three Huskers in double figures with 11 points.
Jaloni Cambridge led five Buckeyes in double figures with a game-high 30 points to go with six assists, while Chance Gray added 21 points on 5-of-10 three-point shooting. Kennedy Cambridge contributed 12 points, eight rebounds and seven steals, while Elsa Lemmila and Ava Watson each pitched in 10 points.
Jaloni Cambridge dominated the fourth quarter, scoring 13 of her 21 second-half points in the final period including OSU's first 11 points. Despite the elite scoring by Cambridge, Nebraska still trailed by just five at 73-68 after a bucket by Nissley with 5:35 left.
But the Huskers went scoreless for the next 2:25, as the Buckeyes erupted on a decisive 11-0 run to take an 84-68 lead with 3:31 left.
For the game, Nebraska hit just 40.6 percent (28-69) of its shots from the floor, including 8-of-26 threes (.308), while connecting on 7-of-9 free throws (.778).
The Buckeyes answered with 51.7 percent (31-60) shooting, including a sizzling 11-of-25 threes (.440) and a 17-for-18 effort at the free throw line (.944). OSU won the battle of the boards, 36-35, and claimed a 21-16 edge in turnovers.
Ohio State posted a 33-11 advantage in points off turnovers.
In a back-and-forth first half, the Huskers used a 10-0 run over the final 15 seconds of the first quarter and the opening 1:28 of the second quarter to turn a 19-10 deficit into a 20-19 lead. Prince scored five points during the run, including a three-pointer to start the spurt, before Nissley capped the run with another three to force an Ohio State timeout.
However, Ohio State answered with back-to-back three-pointers from the Cambridge sisters to regain a five-point edge.
The Buckeyes took a 39-31 lead to halftime thanks to 13 points on 3-of-6 three-point shooting from Gray. Jaloni Cambridge added 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers, while Lemmila pitched in six points. Kennedy Cambridge and Bryn Martin each contributed five first-half points.
Hargrove led Nebraska with 11 first-half points, while Prince added eight points on a pair of threes. Five other Huskers hit one field goal in the half, but the Big Red hit just 13-of-35 field goals (.371) in the half. NU did sink 5-of-12 threes (.417) but did not shoot a free throw.
Nebraska matched Ohio State on the glass with 20 rebounds, but the Buckeyes won the turnover battle, 10-7, and converted the mistakes into a 12-5 edge in points off turnovers.
The Huskers held the Buckeyes to 42.4 percent (14-33) shooting, but OSU hit 7-of-18 threes (.389) while going 4-for-4 at the free throw line.
Nebraska cut the margin to six on the first possession of the second half on a pair of Prince free throws, but Ohio State responded by outscoring the Huskers, 23-9 over the next seven minutes to build a 62-42 lead.
However, the Huskers answered with a 12-2 surge to close the third quarter to trail 64-54 at the start of the final period.
The Huskers return to Big Ten road action on Wednesday when they travel to Ann Arbor to meet Michigan. Tip-off between the Big Red and the No. 9 Wolverines is set for 6 p.m. (CT) with live coverage from the Huskers Radio Network on Huskers.com and the Huskers App. A live video stream will be provided to subscribers of B1G+.