The Norse are feeling the heat of Ohio State as they are on a 16-4 run to start the third quarter. OSU is bringing up the ball with all the momentum on their side; they are running their offense quickly.
Ohio State’s Jaloni Cambridge has the ball on the wing and swings the ball to Chance Gray in the corner. Gray, with her quick first step, blows by Kamora Morgan on the baseline. She steps one foot in the paint and skip passes it to the other corner.
The ball was then caught by Ava Watson, who didn’t hesitate to shoot the three-pointer, “swoosh,” as the ball went through the net, hitting nothing but the bottom.
This three-pointer pushed the game away from the Norse as they struggled the rest of the third quarter and even in the fourth. They were unable to mount a comeback, falling to the number 21-ranked Ohio State, 94-62.
Former 2025 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and All-Big Ten First Teamer, Jaloni Cambridge, was the star of the game. She finished with a career high of 33 points. The sophomore also had six rebounds and four steals on the night. Her sister, Kennedy Cambridge, was all over the floor on defense as she finished with 10 steals. She also had six points, four rebounds and five assists.
NKU’s Karina Bystry shined in the bright lights of the Big Ten stage. Bystry had 11 points in the first half to help the Norse lead at halftime. In the second half, she had another 10 points to finish the game with 21 points, three rebounds and four assists.
The Norse also had ten players score at least one basket. Taysha Rushton had eight points and six rebounds, but had eight turnovers. Maddie Moody had six points and five rebounds in just 14 minutes. Noelle Hubert also had six points on 2-5 shooting from deep. All her points came in the first couple of minutes of the game.
The story of the game was turnover as NKU committed 37 on the night, as OSU capitalized on them, scoring 46 points off of those turnovers.
In the first quarter, the Norse came out on fire, grabbing a 4-0 lead. A couple of positions later, Hubert fired up a three, making it, then the next trip down hit another three, putting the game at 12-3. NKU kept piling on the points, getting the lead to 12, but Ohio State came alive at the end of the quarter, cutting the game to just two points going into the second quarter, 22-20.
The second quarter is where the battle began as both teams traded buckets until the Buckeyes got the lead with five minutes left in the quarter. Once again, the Norse didn’t shy away from the biggest moment as they grabbed the lead back off a 6-0 run started all by Bystry and ended the quarter with a five-point lead, 43-38. NKU shot 53% from the field and 40% from three while outrebounding OSU 18-10.
In the third and fourth quarters, the game swung into Ohio State’s hands as they went on a 25-4 run in eight minutes. The Norse kept fighting, but it wasn’t enough, as the firepower of the Buckeyes overpowered them, putting up 26 points in the fourth quarter compared to NKU’s 10.
Head Coach of the Norse, Jeff Hans, thought his team came out of the gate in a great way.
“I thought we did a good job of being aggressive and making open shots when they were available,” Hans said.
In the second half, NKU struggled, putting up 19 points across those two quarters, while having 22 turnovers. Hans believes that Ohio State regained their energy in the second half, which his team couldn’t keep up with.
“They really did a good job of turning up their intensity and aggressiveness,” Hans said. “Adjusted how they pressed a little, and we didn’t handle it well.”
Bystry had a good night against the Buckeyes, getting to her spots at will. The second-year head coach had great things to say about her.
“I thought Karina did a good job of attacking and getting to the rim,” Hans said.
With Horizon League play coming to almost full swing, Hans believes that what he takes away from this game is what he has taken away from every game.
“We must work to be more consistent on both ends of the court,” Hans said.