The 11th-ranked Ohio State women’s basketball team survived a tense quarterfinal battle against 19th-ranked Minnesota, winning 60-55 at the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis on Friday.
Elsa Lemmila led the Buckeyes with a double-double performance of 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Jaloni Cambridge delivered the decisive blow with a crucial layup with just 16 seconds remaining on the clock. Cambridge contributed 17 points along with six assists, five rebounds and three steals in an outstanding all-around performance. Chance Gray chipped in 13 points for the victorious Buckeyes.
Despite being outrebounded 44-27, the fourth-seeded Buckeyes (26-6) managed to secure victory by creating 21 turnovers against the fifth-seeded Gophers (22-8). Minnesota’s Sophie Hart dominated the boards with 19 rebounds while adding 12 points, and Grace Grocholski paced all scorers with 18 points.
The game remained competitive until the final moments, with Grocholski providing four assists, including a setup for Mara Braun’s three-pointer that brought Minnesota within three points at 58-55 with 1:32 left on the clock. Grocholski had an opportunity to tie the contest with a three-point attempt at the 43-second mark but missed the shot.
Ohio State’s victory earns them a spot in Saturday’s semifinal round, where they will face top-seeded UCLA.
No. 2 UCLA 78, Washington 60
Lauren Betts dominated with 26 points and eight rebounds as the second-seeded Bruins pulled away from eighth-seeded Washington in Friday’s opening quarterfinal contest.
The Bruins (29-1) trailed by just one point with 2:33 left in the third quarter before unleashing a 7-0 scoring burst to end the period. All-American center Betts then took control in the fourth quarter, contributing six points during a 13-3 run that stretched nearly four minutes.
These two decisive runs provided UCLA with necessary separation after Washington (21-10) had threatened the heavily favored Bruins for over three quarters. The Huskies had jumped out to a 10-point first-half advantage behind strong early performances from Avery Howell, who finished with a team-leading 18 points, and Sayvia Sellers.
Sellers scored five of her 10 total points in the early second quarter as Washington stretched their lead to 22-12. UCLA answered when Kiki Rice exploded for seven of her 18 points during a game-changing 15-0 Bruins run that gave them a lead they maintained for the remainder of the contest.
