Thursday was a rough night for both of Ohio State’s basketball teams.
While Ohio State men’s basketball laid an egg at home against Northwestern, Ohio State women’s basketball also suffered one of its worst losses of the season, taking a 71-61 defeat to unranked Indiana on the road for its fourth loss of the year.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #8 OHIO STATE | 17 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 61 |
| INDIANA | 26 | 14 | 17 | 14 | 71 |
The night got off to a fast start for both teams as Ohio State and Indiana both scored 11 points in the game’s first three minutes. But while Ohio State made just three of its last 12 shots for the rest of the first quarter, Indiana made nine of its first 10 shots from the field on their way to finishing the first quarter with a 26-17 advantage.
Ohio State responded by scoring the first nine points of the second quarter to tie the game, but Indiana outscored Ohio State 14-2 for the rest of the quarter to take a 40-28 lead into halftime.
A three to start the second half by Jaloni Cambridge, the game’s leading scorer with 18 points, was as close as Ohio State would come to making a second-half comeback. The Hoosiers built their lead up to 18 points by the end of the third quarter and continued to control the game from there, ultimately winning the game by 10.
The loss continues what’s been a shaky February for the Buckeyes. After starting the month with a win over Washington, Ohio State suffered back-to-back road losses to UCLA and USC, then needed overtime to win back-to-back home games against Minnesota and Iowa after blowing double-digit leads in the fourth quarter of both games.
Ohio State remains in position for a double bye in the Big Ten Tournament but is now tied for third in the conference standings with Illinois, with both teams holding an 11-4 record in Big Ten play. Ohio State holds a 23-4 overall record this season.
The Buckeyes will look to get back on track Sunday when they host Purdue at the Schottenstein Center, where they are 13-0 this season. Tip-off at the Schott is scheduled for noon with Big Ten Network set to televise the game.
