Ohio State graduate forward Ajae Petty (1) posts up a Michigan State defender during No. 12 Ohio State’s game against No. 12 Michigan State Wednesday at the Schottenstein Center. The Buckeyes defeated the Spartans 89-78. Credit: Raghav Raj | Senior Lantern Reporter
15 up and 15 down at the Schottenstein Center.
For the first time since the 2011-12 season, Ohio State finished perfect at home.
Ohio State guard Jaloni Cambridge and forwards Ajae Petty and Cotie McMahon stole the show Wednesday night as the No. 12 Buckeyes downed No. 23 Michigan State 89-78.
Cambridge scored a career-high 33 points, while Petty made all 11 of her attempts for 23 points and grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds. McMahon tied a career-high with four made 3-pointers.
In a matchup of two of the Big Ten’s top three scoring teams, each offense exploded early on. Ohio State shot 67% from the field in the first quarter, while Michigan State shot 65%.
The Buckeyes led 31-24 after the first period and tied their Dec. 17 performance against Grand Valley State for their highest-scoring first quarter of the season.
The Buckeyes went on a 10-3 run in the second quarter, as an and-one layup from Petty and a 3-pointer from McMahon gave Ohio State its largest lead of the game at 45-32.
But the Spartans would not go away that easily.
Michigan State guard Theryn Hallock hit four first-half 3-pointers to keep the game in reach. However, the Buckeyes still led 54-41 at the break.
In the third quarter, a combination of 13 free throw attempts from Michigan State and a three-minute field goal drought from the Buckeyes cut Ohio State’s lead to just 10.
Even so, Cambridge said the Spartans’ free throws did not impact the Buckeyes’ momentum offensively.
“We played through it,” Cambridge said. “We kept fighting to the end of the game.”
A 12-2 run from the Buckeyes gave Ohio State a 79-59 lead to end the third quarter. The Buckeyes connected on their final four shots of the frame, as McMahon knocked down her fourth 3-pointer of the night and Cambridge hit three straight shots, including two 3-pointers.
Buckeyes head coach Kevin McGuff said when Cambridge’s 3-point shot is falling, she’s difficult to stop.
“She was really aggressive up and down the court,” McGuff said. “When she shoots the three, she’s hard to defend.”
In the fourth, the Buckeyes went scoreless for over five minutes and Michigan State went on an 11-0 run.
Suddenly, the Spartans trailed by just seven with a little over four minutes left to play.
Uncertainty crept into the Schottenstein Center.
When it mattered most, McMahon and Cambridge responded again by scoring timely baskets, and the Buckeyes hung on to win 89-78.
McGuff said the Buckeyes, who have struggled for stretches in recent games, put together a strong performance for the majority of the match.
“We got closer today to playing 40 minutes than we have in recent games, and I think that’s the key for us,” McGuff said.
In its regular season finale, No. 12 Ohio State (24-4, 13-4) heads to the Xfinity Center to take on No. 19 Maryland (21-6, 11-5 Big Ten) Sunday at 4:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1.
