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No. 14 Ohio State women's basketball routs Penn State in Big Ten play
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- No. 14 Ohio State women's basketball routs Penn State in Big Ten play
A strong start propelled No. 14 Ohio State (16-2) to a 108-84 victory over Penn State at the Jerome Schottenstein Center on Jan. 14.
The Buckeyes (16-2 overall, 6-1 Big Ten) opened with a 14-0 run, keeping the Nittany Lions scoreless until the 4:37 mark, when Penn State guard Kiyomi McMiller hit a 3-pointer.
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At the center of the run were point guard Jaloni Cambridge and forward Elsa Lemmila , with the two accounting for all but two points during the stretch.
Cambridge recorded her third consecutive outing with 25-plus points , scoring 33, with 12 of those points coming from beyond the arc.
"I was just open," Cambridge said. "Once I get in a rhythm, it's too late. You've lost, it's too late. If I get in a rhythm, you're in trouble."
Ohio State guard Jaloni Cambridge reacts after making a 3-point shot against Penn State on Jan. 14.
Lemmila finished with a career-high 21 points. The 6-foot-6 Lemmila matched up against Penn State's 6-6 Gracie Merkle and easily got around Merkle's coverage, going 10 for 12 on shots in the paint.
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"I've been telling her for two years, just that she has to go out there and play tough every time, and she continues to show up at the right time."
Four of Cambridge's six assists came off passes to Lemmila down low.
More: OSU's Elsa Lemmila continues finding confidence following 2 surgeries
After Ohio State built a 14-point advantage, Penn State (7-11, 0-7) started chipping away and pulled within five points by the end of the first quarter.
"It's disappointing coming off a week where I think the difference in the Illinois and Maryland games was half-court defense," Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. "It looked like we regressed tonight."
Ohio State's Elsa Lemmila had 10 rebounds against Minnesota, but only one of those boards came on the offensive end.
McMiller, Merkle and Moriah Murray were responsible for the bulk of Penn State's offense, scoring a combined 66 points, 11 coming during the final four minutes of the first quarter to keep the Nittany Lions in the game.
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The Buckeyes' defense never allowed the Nittany Lions to complete the comeback, as they forced 24 Penn State turnovers, which resulted in 39 points off turnovers for the Buckeyes.
Jaloni Cambridge's sister, guard Kennedy Cambridge, recorded a game-high four steals. With 74 steals this season, Kennedy Cambridge ranks second nationally in takeaways.
Ohio State is slated to face No. 10 TCU in its final nonconference game of the season on Jan. 19 at the Coretta Scott King Classic in Newark, New Jersey. Tipoff is at noon.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State defeats Penn State, Jaloni Cambridge records 33 points
