Ohio State women run away from Montana State for 71-51 NCAA Tournament win
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It was a back-and-forth game, with a technical, in the first half but a 24-point Buckeye run sealed the win.

Ohio State women’s basketball has not lost a first-round game in the 12-year tenure of head coach Kevin McGuff. That continued Friday when the No. 4 Buckeyes defeated the No. 13 Montana State Bobcats behind five Ohio State players in double figures in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. The Scarlet and Gray defeated the Big Sky champions 71-51.

Before the ball was tipped, the Buckeyes were already behind due to injury. Freshman center Elsa Lemmilä, who came on strong at the start of the 2025 calendar, missed the game due to a foot injury. Head coach Kevin McGuff listed Lemmilä as questionable but the center had a boot on her left foot and did not suit up.

Even so, the game was going to be played in the press. Both the Bobcats and Buckeyes are known for playing full-court pressure defenses and they did not disappoint. In the first half, the teams combined for 24 turnovers, with the Buckeyes forcing 14 of the visiting side from Montana.

Ohio State turned those into 18 first-half points and at the end of the first half it was a 32-27 advantage for the Buckeyes, but by no means was it easy for the home side.

In the first quarter, the programs swapped the lead four times, despite the Buckeyes starting the game with turnovers on two of the first three Montana State plays. Giving the visitors an early lead was Big Sky Player of the Year Esmeralda Morales. The guard hit two three-point shots and was part of a seven-point run that put the Buckeyes down four points within the first four minutes.

The Buckeyes answered back with two fast-break baskets off turnovers, followed by a seven-point run that swung the game into Ohio State’s favor.

To start the second quarter, the Buckeyes were the aggressors with six points to start the quarter but then the Bobcats flipped the momentum of the game, with some assistance from the officiating crew.

It began with an elbow thrown by forward Addison Harris but was called a foul against shooting guard Chance Gray. Soon after that, Gray went up for a shot inside the arc and it looked like a defensive foul. Instead, Gray got called for a travel.

Then on defense, the ball went off Bobcat forward Katelynn Martin and it rolled parallel to the benches courtside. Instead of eventually calling it out on Martin, the referees called a backcourt violation on Thierry even though she was not the last one to touch the ball.

That sent McGuff from angry to incensed. The 12-year Buckeye head coach earned a technical foul for his troubles and Montana State guard Natalie Picton hit two free throws.

They were two of 10-straight points for Picton, part of a one-player 10-point run for Montana State that gave the Bobcats a four-point lead. Afterward, it was all Ohio State. The Buckeyes scored the last nine points of the second quarter, including six from forward Cotie McMahon. It was part of a 10-point first half for the forward and she and the Buckeyes were only getting started.

Ohio State went on a 24-point run from the 3:17 mark of the second quarter through the 7:08 mark of the third. Out of halftime, Gray hit her first three shots, all from beyond the arc, with Jaloni Cambridge, McMahon, and Petty finishing up a 15-point third-quarter run.

The Buckeyes extended their five-point halftime lead to 18 by the end of the third quarter but near the end of the period, Ohio State looked like a team that knew they were up by 18 points.

Montana State scored seven points to end the third quarter, including one layup where the Buckeye defense had nobody on the player who went up to the rim for an easy layup like she was in practice.

McGuff’s side woke up to start the fourth quarter, scoring seven of the first eight points. With a 24-point lead, all the Buckeyes had to do was outlast the Bobcats. Instead, the Buckeyes kept up the pressure.

With five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Thierry took a shot that missed the rim completely and headed toward the out-of-bounds line. Guard Kennedy Cambridge was not satisfied with giving up the possession and the redshirt sophomore sprinted toward the ball and leapt out of bounds to save it. It went back to Thierry for a layup that kept the Ohio State lead at 24 points.

Montana State cut into the lead but did not have enough time to make the game competitive in the latter minutes of the quarter. With under two minutes remaining, Bobcat head coach Tricia Binford brought in backups to give players minutes before the final buzzer.

There were five Ohio State players who scored in double-digits in the win, with Thierry scoring 16 points with five rebounds. Jaloni Cambridge added 12 points 6 assists and 6 steals. McMahon and Gray scored 15 points each. For the Bobcats, Morales led with 18 points while Picton scored 12.

Ohio State also won the battle of the full-court presses. Montana State gave the ball away 26 times, the most turnovers for the Bobcats this season. The Buckeyes had 16 but outscored the Bobcats 32-21 on points off turnovers.

What’s Next​

With Ohio State’s win over the Bobcats, the Buckeyes now wait roughly two hours to see who they play in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. It will be either the No. 14 South Florida Bulls or No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers with the time to be announced.

The Buckeyes have recent history against both sides, with a two-game series against the Vols during the 2022-23 and 23-24 seasons. Ohio State won both of the games of the home-and-home.

Ohio State played USF at the San Diego Invitational in December of 2022 and needed a double-digit comeback to defeat the Bulls. In the game, Buckeyes’ point guard Madison Greene tore her ACL for a second consecutive season, ending her 2022-23 campaign.

Overall, Ohio State is 3-10 against the Volunteers and 2-2 against the Bulls in program history.

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