Northwestern

Northwestern Falls To #23 Lady Buckeyes, but get 37 Points from Grace Sullivan

Kevin Sweeney

Northwestern gave the Ohio State women all they could handle in a basketball game on Sunday, December 12. The No. 23/24 Ohio State women’s basketball team is 7-1 overall and beat Northwestern, which is 6-3, 79-70 in Sunday’s Big Ten opener at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois. Grace Sullivan had an excellent game for Northwestern, who scored 37 points overall (the 5th most points in Northwestern history).

Northwestern ended the first quarter with a 6-0 run and had a 16-10 lead after 10 minutes. The Lady Buckeyes scored the second quarter’s final eleven points and took a 33-25 lead into halftime. Both teams’ offenses were firing in the third quarter, but the Buckeyes held a 28-22 advantage to increase their lead to 61-47 after 30 minutes. Ohio State won 79-70. Do you think the Lady Buckeyes’ current ranking bodes well for them?

Northwestern Against Ohio State Scoring Summary

In the first quarter, Northwestern scored first after more than two minutes of good defense by both teams. Sullivan had Northwestern’s points in the game. Back-to-back fastbreak layups from Jaloni Cambridge gave the Buckeyes their first lead of the game at 6-4. The teams were tied with each basket they made until Northwestern ended the quarter with a 6-0 run to take a 16-10 advantage into the second quarter.


In the second quarter, T’yana Todd made two free throws at the start of the second quarter. The Ohio State cut the Northwestern lead to 1 at 23-22 just past the midway point of the quarter. The Buckeyes ended the half with an 11-0 run to take a 33-25 lead into the locker room. Jaloni Cambridge and Ava Watson powered the run.

In the third quarter, as the teams started the second half. Kylee Kitts opened second-half scoring with a jumper for Ohio State. Northwestern made back-to-back three-pointers to cut the Ohio State lead to 35-31. The Buckeyes responded with an 11-2 run to extend their advantage to 46-33 with six minutes remaining in the quarter. The Buckeyes led by 61-47 after three quarters of play.

In the fourth quarter, Kitts scored the Buckeyes’ first seven points. Then, Ohio State and Northwestern traded points for much of the fourth quarter, with each team scoring four and five unanswered points. Northwestern scored the final seven points to cap scoring at 79-70.

News and Notes

  • Kennedy Cambridge also tied her career-high six assists.
  • Jaloni Cambridge has scored in double figures in all eight games this season. She was the first Buckeye in double-digits in this game and finished with 22 points. This is her fourth game of the season with 20 or more points.
  • Todd got her in double-figures for the 63rd time in her career.
  • Elsa Lemmilä totaled a season-high nine rebounds. That total led the game.
  • The gritty Northwestern team nearly defeated the Lady Buckeyes, powered by Grace Sullivan’s thirty-seven points.
  • The Lady Buckeyes are ranked in the polls for the first time all season.

Conclusion

Kennedy Cambridge got her one hundredth career steal with four steals in this game. She also tied her career-high with six assists. The Lady Buckeyes got a balanced scoring effort from their stars. Jaloni Cambridge had 22 points. T’yana Todd (13) and Kylee Kitts (career-high 18) also scored in double figures.

Elsa Lemmilä had a season-high nine rebounds. Ohio State Next begins a five-game home stand with Northern Kentucky on Thursday, December 15th, with a 6:30 p.m. tip-off. The game will be broadcast live on B1G+ and AM1460. It is the student appreciation game with a T-shirt giveaway to the first 500 Ohio State students (with a BuckID).

More Great Content