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The return of Eboni Walker Postseason Magic for Ohio State
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
The graduate senior continued her trend of coming up big in tournament time Friday against the Hawkeyes.
Watch Ohio State women’s basketball this season and forward Eboni Walker’s name has not come up too often. Late Friday night against the Iowa Hawkeyes, Walker played seven minutes for the Scarlet and Gray. On a stat sheet it pales in comparison to starters and other players off the bench, but Walker’s contributions were a story of quality over quantity.
Since the start of the 2025 calendar year, the Buckeyes played 16 games before entering the Big Ten Tournament, with Walker appearing 11 times with 8.1 minutes per game. Take away 36 of Walker’s minutes that came in routs against the Northwestern Wildcats and Purdue Boilermakers, which were in games that weren’t a challenge for the Scarlet and Gra,y and it drops to 4.5 minutes per game.
Friday night showed that Walker has earned the chance to add to those totals.
Walker sat on the bench in the first half against the Hawkeyes, with forward Ajae Petty having a strong performance of six rebounds and six points in the first two quarters without giving the ball away once. Freshman center Elsa Lemmilä played eight minutes in the first half but the Iowa offense was moving too quickly and the center lacked the effectiveness seen over the past two months of the season.
So, with 5:49 remaining in the third quarter, the Buckeyes were down four points and head coach Kevin McGuff brought in Walker, his rarely used graduate senior.
Within 20 seconds of stepping into the game, Walker grabbed an offensive rebound that turned into an assist when the forward found guard Kennedy Cambridge on a three-point shot. Cambridge, who entered the game alongside Walker, hit another three that tied the game.
Fast forward 40 seconds and Walker tied the game with a midrange shot just inside the corner of the arc.
With less than 10 seconds left in the third quarter, Cambridge and Walker were at it again. First it was Cambridge, who took the initiative to attack the paint and throw up a floating layup that was off the mark. There to grab it was Walker for her second offensive rebound of the quarter, followed up by a layup under pressure.
Walker came into an elimination game and did what Walker does best — she hustled on offense and defended well on the other side of the court. Walker had a +6 plus/minus in the quarter, including a basket that gave Ohio State a brief lead.
“She really has a great understanding of what we do, and I thought our execution was at a little bit higher level with her on the court,” said McGuff. “I was just really proud of her, happy she could come in. She looked like a senior playing in her last Big Ten Tournament.”
All things considered, this is not new territory for Walker. In the 2022-23 season, Walker started the last 11 games of a campaign that ended with a run to the Elite Eight. The forward played a key role in the McGuff system, matching any speed inside the paint and making good decisions in a limited offensive role.
Against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the second round of March Madness, Walker led what ended up being a broken play on offense, pulled in the defense and found guard Jacy Sheldon who hit the game-winning shot.
That moment capped off a night where Walker scored 15 points, grabbed seven rebounds and added three assists. There were a lot of parallels between that game against UNC and Friday against Iowa. On top of the key offensive rebounds and moments of offense when the Buckeyes needed it, Walker also took care of the ball and didn’t have a turnover in either standout postseason game.
This time it was forward Cotie McMahon hitting the game-winning shots, a couple of free throws in a loud and tense tournament environment. Shots that capped off an 18-point performance from McMahon led Ohio State to victory over a tough rival in Iowa. A night for McMahon that the Buckeyes needed. Walker’s supporting role was integral too.
Iowa played a zone defense, clogging up any lanes inside the paint for Jaloni Cambridge or McMahon to work. That meant the Ohio State defense had less margin for error, and Walker’s third quarter performance included the Buckeye defense outscoring the Hawkeyes 15-9, in part due to Walker’s defense work and creating second chance baskets with her offensive rebounds.
With the postseason moving on, and the Buckeyes set to face the UCLA Bruins tonight in Indianapolis, will Walker get a second chance after giving so many to Ohio State in a diminished role?
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
The graduate senior continued her trend of coming up big in tournament time Friday against the Hawkeyes.
Watch Ohio State women’s basketball this season and forward Eboni Walker’s name has not come up too often. Late Friday night against the Iowa Hawkeyes, Walker played seven minutes for the Scarlet and Gray. On a stat sheet it pales in comparison to starters and other players off the bench, but Walker’s contributions were a story of quality over quantity.
Since the start of the 2025 calendar year, the Buckeyes played 16 games before entering the Big Ten Tournament, with Walker appearing 11 times with 8.1 minutes per game. Take away 36 of Walker’s minutes that came in routs against the Northwestern Wildcats and Purdue Boilermakers, which were in games that weren’t a challenge for the Scarlet and Gra,y and it drops to 4.5 minutes per game.
Friday night showed that Walker has earned the chance to add to those totals.
Walker sat on the bench in the first half against the Hawkeyes, with forward Ajae Petty having a strong performance of six rebounds and six points in the first two quarters without giving the ball away once. Freshman center Elsa Lemmilä played eight minutes in the first half but the Iowa offense was moving too quickly and the center lacked the effectiveness seen over the past two months of the season.
So, with 5:49 remaining in the third quarter, the Buckeyes were down four points and head coach Kevin McGuff brought in Walker, his rarely used graduate senior.
Within 20 seconds of stepping into the game, Walker grabbed an offensive rebound that turned into an assist when the forward found guard Kennedy Cambridge on a three-point shot. Cambridge, who entered the game alongside Walker, hit another three that tied the game.
Fast forward 40 seconds and Walker tied the game with a midrange shot just inside the corner of the arc.
With less than 10 seconds left in the third quarter, Cambridge and Walker were at it again. First it was Cambridge, who took the initiative to attack the paint and throw up a floating layup that was off the mark. There to grab it was Walker for her second offensive rebound of the quarter, followed up by a layup under pressure.
Walker came into an elimination game and did what Walker does best — she hustled on offense and defended well on the other side of the court. Walker had a +6 plus/minus in the quarter, including a basket that gave Ohio State a brief lead.
“She really has a great understanding of what we do, and I thought our execution was at a little bit higher level with her on the court,” said McGuff. “I was just really proud of her, happy she could come in. She looked like a senior playing in her last Big Ten Tournament.”
All things considered, this is not new territory for Walker. In the 2022-23 season, Walker started the last 11 games of a campaign that ended with a run to the Elite Eight. The forward played a key role in the McGuff system, matching any speed inside the paint and making good decisions in a limited offensive role.
Against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the second round of March Madness, Walker led what ended up being a broken play on offense, pulled in the defense and found guard Jacy Sheldon who hit the game-winning shot.
That moment capped off a night where Walker scored 15 points, grabbed seven rebounds and added three assists. There were a lot of parallels between that game against UNC and Friday against Iowa. On top of the key offensive rebounds and moments of offense when the Buckeyes needed it, Walker also took care of the ball and didn’t have a turnover in either standout postseason game.
Eboni brought the energy tonight️
She gets the Dub Crown & we’re on to the next round @_eboniwalker | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/FWK5NPnLg8
— Ohio State Women’s Basketball (@OhioStateWBB) March 8, 2025
This time it was forward Cotie McMahon hitting the game-winning shots, a couple of free throws in a loud and tense tournament environment. Shots that capped off an 18-point performance from McMahon led Ohio State to victory over a tough rival in Iowa. A night for McMahon that the Buckeyes needed. Walker’s supporting role was integral too.
Iowa played a zone defense, clogging up any lanes inside the paint for Jaloni Cambridge or McMahon to work. That meant the Ohio State defense had less margin for error, and Walker’s third quarter performance included the Buckeye defense outscoring the Hawkeyes 15-9, in part due to Walker’s defense work and creating second chance baskets with her offensive rebounds.
With the postseason moving on, and the Buckeyes set to face the UCLA Bruins tonight in Indianapolis, will Walker get a second chance after giving so many to Ohio State in a diminished role?
Continue reading...