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Ohio State women's basketball falls to Tennessee in March Madness, misses NCAA Sweet 16
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- Ohio State women's basketball falls to Tennessee in March Madness, misses NCAA Sweet 16
The Ohio State women's basketball team's run in the NCAA Tournament ended Sunday, as the Buckeyes lost 82-67 to Tennessee at Value City Arena.
The Volunteers (24-9) advanced to the Sweet 16 and will play on Friday or Saturday in Birmingham, Alabama, against the winner of Monday's game between No. 1 seed Texas and No. 8 Illinois . Texas is an 18.5-point favorite in that game.
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Ohio State was the No. 4 seed in the Birmingham region. Tennessee (24-9) is the No. 5 seed.
Talaysia Cooper led Tennessee with 19 points, while Zee Spearman added 17.
Ohio State was led by 19 points from Jaloni Cambridge and 17 from Cotie McMahon.
This is the second consecutive year Ohio State lost in the second round on its home court. Last year, the Buckeyes were upset by No. 7 Duke 75-63.
Ohio State Buckeyes center Elsa Lemmila (12) shoots over Tennessee Lady Vols forward Zee Spearman (11) and guard Ruby Whitehorn (2) during the second round of the women's NCAA Tournament at Value City Arena in Columbus on March 23, 2025.
Ohio State (26-7) led 21-17 after one quarter on Sunday, but Tennessee took a 40-35 advantage into halftime and led 66-59 after three quarters.
The Volunteers advanced to the second round by beating South Florida 101-66 Friday. Ohio State reached the second round thanks to a 71-51 win over Montana State on Friday.
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This year marks Ohio State's 29th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the Buckeyes are 33-29 in tournament games.
Tennessee Lady Vols forward Alyssa Latham (33) fouls Ohio State Buckeyes guard Kennedy Cambridge (3) during the second round of the women's NCAA Tournament at Value City Arena in Columbus on March 23, 2025.
For Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff, this is his seventh NCAA Tournament with the Buckeyes, and the program is 4-3 in second-round matchups under his leadership.
Last year, the Buckeyes beat the No. 15 seed Maine 80-57 as the No. 2 seed in the first round. Ohio State was then upset in the second round by No. 7 Duke 75-63.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: March Madness 2025: OSU women's basketball falls to Tennessee
