A valiant effort to upset No. 1 UCLA fell short for Ohio State women’s basketball on Wednesday night.
The eighth-ranked Buckeyes kept the game close for three quarters, but the unbeaten Bruins pulled away in the fourth quarter to hand Ohio State a 65-52 loss for its second defeat of the year.
Ohio State’s defense made life difficult for the Bruins, forcing 23 turnovers, but the Buckeyes’ upset bid was doomed by missed shots as they made a season-low 29% (20-of-68) of their field goal attempts at Pauley Pavilion.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #8 OHIO STATE | 16 | 8 | 18 | 10 | 52 |
| #1 UCLA | 18 | 12 | 14 | 21 | 65 |
Buckeye freshman Jaloni Cambridge (21 points, eight rebounds, six assists) had an standout showing in defeat, but UCLA star Lauren Betts led the Bruins to victory with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
Ohio State got off to a strong start, scoring 13 of the game’s first 19 points as it forced five UCLA turnovers in the first six minutes. The Bruins tied the game with a 7-0 run and finished the first quarter with an 18-16 lead as Ohio State scored just three points in the final four minutes of the first period.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | UCLA |
|---|---|---|
| 52 | POINTS | 65 |
| 20-68 (29.4%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 26-57 (45.6%) |
| 3-18 (16.7%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 4-16 (25%) |
| 9-16 (56.3%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 9-11 (81.8%) |
| 11 | TURNOVERS | 23 |
| 33 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 49 |
| 14 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 10 |
| 19 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 39 |
| 8 | BENCH POINTS | 11 |
| 1 | BLOCKS | 5 |
| 15 | STEALS | 7 |
| 12 | ASSISTS | 19 |
The Buckeyes scored just two points in the first six minutes of the second quarter, and UCLA started the quarter on a 10-2 run to pull out to a 10-point lead. Ohio State went on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit by four before a reverse layup by Betts made it a six-point game before halftime.
Ohio State cut UCLA’s lead down to two points by the end of the third quarter as Cotie McMahon and Cambridge combined to score 13 points in the quarter’s final five minutes. Cambridge tied the score at 44-all by scoring the first bucket of the fourth quarter.
That was as close as Ohio State would come to retaking the lead, however, as UCLA went on a 19-1 run from there to pull away from the Buckeyes.
Ohio State is now 20-2 on the season and 9-2 in Big Ten play, putting it third in the conference standings behind UCLA and USC. The Buckeyes will have a shot to move into a tie for second in the Big Ten on Saturday as they continue their West Coast swing against USC in a 9 p.m. game that will be televised by FOX.
