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No. 10 Ohio State women avoid third consecutive loss, defeat USC
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- No. 10 Ohio State women avoid third consecutive loss, defeat USC
No. 10 Ohio State women's basketball found its way back in the win column with a victory over USC 88-83 on Feb. 22 at the Schottenstein Center.
The Buckeyes (23-5) entered looking to avoid a three-game losing streak after falling to No. 14 Maryland and No. 23 Minnesota in a span of eight days.
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"It's just about not giving up," Ohio State point guard Jaloni Cambridge said. "Last game, I'm not saying we gave up, but we kind of let them get to us, and we didn't really do anything about it. So, today, we were losing, down by a couple of points, but we just want to fight, especially at home."
Despite the Trojans (17-10) being without their star guard Juju Watkins for the season due to an ACL injury, Ohio State had to fight until the fourth quarter to secure the win.
With 8:22 remaining in the game, the Trojans held a one-point lead, but Cambridge rallied OSU by hitting a 3-point basket from the right wing with time expiring on the shot clock. That put Ohio State up 66-65.
Ohio State guard Jaloni Cambridge (22) and Kennedy Smith (11) of the USC Trojans compete for a rebound.
Building off that momentum, Ohio State went on a 10-0 run over the next 2:55 to put the game out of reach.
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"Finally, in the fourth quarter, we played with a little more determination and grit," Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. "And we got some stops and rebounds when we needed them."
In the fourth quarter, Ohio State outscored USC 27-19 while forcing eight turnovers and grabbing six boards.
Cambridge was the Buckeyes ' leading scorer, recording 33 points in addition to six rebounds and three steals.
What proved to be the difference between the USC matchup and the last two losses was Cambridge receiving support offensively.
In the Maryland and Minnesota games, Cambridge and guard Chance Gray were the only Buckeyes to score over 10 points, but all five of Ohio State's starters hit double-digits against USC.
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"It makes us hard to guard," Cambridge said. "We've got everybody contributing. Obviously, we want that every game, but you've just got to show up, and everybody showed up."
Ohio State was also propelled by its defense, forcing USC into 25 turnovers and scoring 31 points off turnovers. Guard Kennedy Cambridge , who is three steals from breaking the Buckeyes' single-season record of 115 set by Yvette Angel in 1984-85, recorded four of Ohio State's 11 steals and notched 14 points.
USC held the lead for the majority of the first half, but the advantage never eclipsed seven points.
COLUMBUS, OHIO - FEBRUARY 22: Jazzy Davidson #9 of the USC Trojans and Kylee Kitts #1 of the Ohio State Buckeyes chase after a loose ball during the first quarter of the game at Value City Arena on February 22, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
The Buckeyes remain in Columbus to host No. 6 Michigan (22-4) on Feb. 25. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State women defeat USC to avoid extending losing streak
