Michigan Beats Ohio State 88-86 In Overtime To Cap Off Regular Season Home Schedule

Kevin Sweeney
Ohio State Buckeyes center Elsa Lemmilä (12) is introduced in the startling lineup prior to the NCAA women's basketball game against the Michigan Wolverines at the Jerome Schottenstein Center on Feb. 25, 2026. Ohio State lost 88-86 in overtime.

Michigan has a very good women’s basketball team. They are ranked eighth in the country, and gave the Ohio State women all they could handle in an 88-86 overtime victory. Kennedy Cambridge tied the program record with 150 steals.

With the loss to Michigan, the Ohio State women have now lost three of their last four games. They are playing difficult competition, but one has to wonder how far they will go in the NCAA Tournament. Do you think the Lady Buckeyes will make the final four in the NCAA Women’s Tournament?

Michigan-Ohio State Summary

Ohio State and rival Michigan played a close one last night. So close, in fact, that the game was decided in overtime. It was an 88-86 victory for Michigan. Both teams had runs in this game. Ohio State had a pair of 7-0 runs in regulation and an 8-0 run to start overtime, but each time the Wolverines responded. They scored the last 10 points of the game in overtime to win it.

Ohio State did have balanced scoring in this game against its rivals, Michigan. Jaloni Cambridge, predictably, was the first Buckeye in double figures, and she finished with 22 points. Kylee Kitts had 11 points, and Chance Gray had 19. Elsa Lemmilä had a double-double and a career high of 15 rebounds. Jaloni Cambridge also added a career-high 9 assists.

Detailed Michigan Against Ohio State Scoring Summary

In the first quarter, Ohio State took its first lead at 5-4 after a three-point play from Gray. Then the Lady Buckeyes went on a 7-0 run to take a 12-6 lead with 5:26 to play in the opening frame. Ohio State also led 22-10. Gray hit a three-pointer as the first quarter ended, and Ohio State held a 28-14 advantage as the quarter ended.

In the second quarter, the Wolverines came back. They scored the first six points of the quarter, had a 7-0 run to get, and got the game tied at 5:47 to play. It was tied at 32 and 34. They took their first lead since the first quarter at 39-37 with 38 seconds left in the half. Jaloni Cambridge gave the Buckeyes a 40-39 lead at halftime with a three-pointer.

In the third quarter, a 9-1 Wolverine run gave them a 50-43 lead with four minutes to play in the quarter. The Lady Buckeyes went on a 6-0 run to cut their deficit to one at 50-49 with 2:44 remaining in the frame. Michigan led by a 61-53 margin after the third quarter.

The teams traded baskets at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Ohio State’s extended 11-2 run tied the game at 69 with just under three minutes to play. The Buckeyes took their first lead of the quarter at 71-69, but the Wolverines scored the next five points to take a 74-71 lead with 10 seconds to play. Jaloni Cambridge, in a clutch bit of playing, made three free throw attempts with less than one second remaining on the game clock to tie the game at 74 to force overtime.

Back-to-back Lady Buckeye baskets gave Ohio State an 86-78 lead, but Michigan tied the game at 86 with 15 seconds to play following back-to-back three-pointers. The Wolverines won by an 88-86 margin after the Buckeyes missed their final shot.

Parting Shots

The fact that the Lady Buckeyes lost at home to a rival is not good. Ohio State travels to East Lansing to play the No. 16 Michigan State Spartans on Sunday in the final game of the regular season. Michigan plays at No. 14 Maryland on Saturday.

Kevin Sweeney is a published author. He is the author of 7 books. He has written an autobiography, a book on stroke recovery, one on presidential politics, and four on sports. Kevin has a Ph.D. in political science; he has published 12 scholarly articles. He lives in Purcellville, VA, with his 3 sons and wife, Kelly. They were married in 2000.

You can get his books here:
https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/bookshelf