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3 takeaways from No. 12 Ohio State women's 91-70 loss to No. 10 Iowa
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- 3 takeaways from No. 12 Ohio State women's 91-70 loss to No. 10 Iowa
No. 12 Ohio State women's basketball lost for the third time this season, falling to No. 10 Iowa in Iowa City 91-70 on Jan. 25.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
Ohio State needs Kylee Kitts back sooner rather than later
The Buckeyes managed to hold off Indiana in their first game without team-leading rebounder Kylee Kitts , but against Iowa , her presence was needed in the post.
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More: No. 12 Ohio State women lose to No. 10 Iowa on the road
Kitts was ruled out with a shoulder injury sustained against TCU on Jan. 19 and is considered day-to-day. The redshirt freshman forward averages 7.1 rebounds and 9.3 points per game.
Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke goes to the basket against Ohio State guard Kennedy Cambridge.
With center Elsa Lemmila being the only Ohio State starter standing over 6 feet, the Buckeyes had no answer for the Iowa duo of Ava Heiden and Hannah Stuelke, who combined for 36 points and 23 rebounds.
When running a man-to-man defense, Lemmila was tasked with guarding Heiden, leaving 5-foot-8 guard Kennedy Cambridge to cover the 6-2 Stuelke. Of the Hawkeyes' 42 points in the paint, 14 were Stuelke's.
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Ohio State recorded 14 points in the paint and was outrebounded 48-30.
Iowa guard Taylor Stremlow celebrates after making a 3-pointer in a 91-70 win over Ohio State.
Lack of depth continues to hurt Ohio State
Since the start of the Big Ten schedule last month , Ohio State has opted to use a short bench. Outside of the regular starting five, there are three Buckeyes who average more than 10 minutes per game, none of whom play forward or center.
The lack of depth, especially in the post, became a glaring issue once Kitts was ruled out.
Ohio State has averaged 14.2 fewer rebounds without Kitts, going from 39.7 per game to 25.5. Against Iowa, 5-7 point guard Jaloni Cambridge was the only Buckeye to grab more than five rebounds, finishing with 10.
Iowa center Ava Heiden shoots over Ohio State center Elsa Lemmila on Jan. 25.
Ella Hobbs is the only other forward Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff put into the Iowa game, but the redshirt freshman made little impact with 3 points and three rebounds.
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The other three Buckeyes who came off the bench failed to contribute any points and combined for just two rebounds.
Ohio State missed Jaloni Cambridge's contributions in first half
Ohio State's leading scorer this season is Jaloni Cambridge, who prefers to let the game come to her , but she struggled to make that happen during the first half against Iowa.
Cambridge recorded just 7 of her game-high 26 points in the first half, shooting 33.3% (3 for 9). The Hawkeyes' defense also kept Cambridge from making much happen as a facilitator, holding the sophomore to two assists during the first two quarters.
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While Cambridge got more involved offensively in the second half, the damage had already been done, and Ohio State went into halftime down 16 points.
Jaloni Cambridge had 26 points in a 91-70 loss to Iowa but scored just 7 of those points in the first half.
In the first half, guards Ava Watson and Chance Gray combined for 21 of Ohio State's 32 points.
Ohio State has nine games remaining on the regular-season schedule, with the next matchup being against Wisconsin on Jan. 29 at the Schottenstein Center. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 3 takeaways No. 12 Ohio State women's basketball loss to No. 10 Iowa
