Game Preview: No. 10 Ohio State women’s basketball vs. Northwestern
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Ohio State looks to carry its unbeaten record into the New Year with a home matchup against the 7-7 Wildcats.
“New Year, New Me” might apply to everyone else, but No. 10
Ohio State women’s basketball (13-0, 2-0 Big Ten) is looking for business as usual when they welcome
Northwestern to the Schottenstein Center this afternoon and work to preserve their undefeated record.
The Wildcats (7-7, 0-3 in conference) have yet to win a conference matchup, most recently losing by 20 points at home to Oregon, 85-65, on New Year’s Eve.
The teams faced off just once last season — a 30-point win for the Buckeyes on the road in Evanston, Illinois, 90-60, exactly one year ago today.
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Preview
Northwestern heads to Columbus in search of its first win over the Buckeyes since 2020, but
Ohio State is currently on a tear and hopes to keep the train steamrolling right over the Wildcats.
Head coach Kevin McGuff has an arsenal at his fingertips to help him do just that, with an offense currently leading the Big Ten and ranked 10th nationally with 85.9 points per game and five Buckeyes averaging in double-digit scoring.
Star forward Cotie McMahon leads the team with 18 points per game, going for more than 20 points in four separate games this season. She is joined by Chance Gray (who just scored her 1000th NCAA point against Rutgers and is averaging 16.2 ppg), Jaloni Cambridge (12.7 ppg), Ajae Petty (12.1 ppg), and Taylor Thierry (10.8 ppg).
Cambridge, who returned to play
against Rutgers after missing three games after taking a hard fall against Ball State on Dec. 10, also leads the team in average steals (2.5) and assists (4.7). Petty leads the team in rebounds, averaging 8.1 points per game.
Defensively, the Buckeyes are 30th in the nation in scoring defense (allowing an average of 55.2 points per game) and 6th in steals (14.4 per game). In fact, it was this full-court pressure defense that helped them stave off a tremendous performance from Rutgers senior guard Destiny Adams, whose 31 points singlehandedly kept her team in the game, in the Buckeyes’ outing against the Scarlet Knights.
After the Buckeyes gave themselves a double-digit cushion early in the second quarter, Ohio State didn’t allow Rutgers to get within 10 points until the final three minutes of the game. The Buckeyes logged 15 steals and forced 22 turnovers and scored 29 points off of them.
Offensively, the Buckeyes were led by McMahon and Petty, who were good for 16 points and a double-double each (adding 11 rebounds and 10 rebounds, respectively).
Though Cambridge struggled offensively, finishing the game with just two points, she came out of the gate strong defensively in her return, forcing an early steal. She also had three assists in the outing.
This well-rounded defensive effort should help the Buckeyes against Northwestern. Searching for their first conference win of the season, the Wildcats have four players averaging in double figures.
Senior forward Caileigh Walsh leads the team with 11.2 ppg. She is joined by Daley (10.7) and forwards Taylor Williams and Grace Sullivan with 10.5 ppg each. Williams leads the team in rebounds, with an average of 9.1 per game, while Caroline Lau leads in assists (6.2) and steals (1.4).
Senior guard Melannie Daley has earned double figures in five consecutive games, most recently leading the team with 17 points in their loss against Oregon on Dec. 31.
The Wildcats had momentum against Oregon early, jumping to a 5-0 lead and finding their rhythm late in the first quarter, but with 55 percent shooting from the Ducks, Northwestern wasn’t able to close the deficit.
Against the Ducks, Daley led with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting, followed by Walsh with 15 points and Kyla Jones with 14 points. The Wildcats were good for 32 rebounds in the contest, converting them into 15 second-chance baskets.
Projected Starters
Ohio State
G- Jaloni Cambridge
G- Chance Gray
G- Taylor Thierry
F- Cotie McMahon
F- Ajae Petty
Lineup Notes
- Gray, McMahon, Petty and Thierry each earned double figures against the Scarlet Knights, with double-doubles for McMahon and Petty.
- All five projected starters are averaging in double-digit scoring.
- Chance Gray logged her 1,000th NCAA point with less than two minutes left in the game against Rutgers.
- Of the 10 players who have taken the court this year, nine have had at least one game in double figures, while six have had at least one game with over 20 points.
- McGuff has used three different starting lineups this season, compared to just one game with a different lineup in 2023-2024. However, with Cambridge’s return against Rutgers, McGuff also returned to the starting five he used in each of this season’s first three games.
Northwestern
G- Casey Harter
G- Kyla Jones
G- Caroline Lau
F- Caileigh Walsh
F- Taylor Williams
Lineup Notes
- Northwestern has used the same starting five in each of their last two games, opting to start Walsh over forward Grace Sullivan (who had started in all prior games this season). The rest of the starting roster has remained the same all season.
- Mercy Ademusayo made her season debut for the Wildcats against Oregon, contributing six points off the bench.
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
Prediction
In his 17th season with the Wildcats, it’s possible head coach Joe McKeown is fighting for his job this year. He has made the NCAA tournament just two times during his tenure (though it would have been three times had the 2020 tournament not been cancelled due to COVID-19). The past two seasons, Northwestern has finished just 6-30 in conference play.
Suffice it to say, McKeown and his team are looking for a marquee conference win. And it’s not entirely out of the question — their closest conference loss this year was to No. 23 Michigan, who beat the Wildcats by just six points, 60-54.
Still, Oregon’s depth off the bench last time out helped them keep the Wildcats at arms’ length throughout the second half. Expect to see more of the same against the Buckeyes, who have a bench with enough talent to remain composed and protect a comfortable lead.
OSU’s press and aggression on defense allow them to force turnovers, something we saw work to their advantage against Rutgers. Look to them to create problems for the Wildcats early and often by capitalizing on possession changes.
Barring an absolute breakdown from the Buckeyes, Ohio State should have no trouble handling the Wildcats at home with a double-digit victory.
How to Watch
Date: Sunday, January 5, 2025
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
Stream: B1G+
LGHL Score Prediction: 88-60, Ohio State Buckeyes
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