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OSU women's basketball is using Big Ten awards as a tournament 'motivator'
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- OSU women's basketball is using Big Ten awards as a tournament 'motivator'
INDIANAPOLIS - When Kennedy Cambridge learned that the 2026 Big Ten Defender of the Year award went to UCLA center Lauren Betts , she gave herself just three minutes to be sad about missing out on her season-long goal.
"It wasn't the outcome we wanted," Cambridge said. "But it's a team game, so you can't sit here and dwell on it. We move on to the next and keep going. If I sit here and dwell on it, then I take myself out for my team, and it's a team game."
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More Ohio State women's basketball: Ohio State women's basketball players earn Big Ten honors for standout seasons
Cambridge, who finished the regular season with a conference-leading four steals per game, was among five Ohio State players recognized in the Big Ten regular-season awards. The redshirt junior earned all-conference defensive team honors alongside center Elsa Lemmila.
Ohio State Buckeyes guard Kennedy Cambridge (3) celebrates in the second half of the NCAA basketball game at Value City Arena on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio.
Kennedy Cambridge's younger sister, point guard Jaloni Cambridge , was the only Buckeye selected for the All-Big Ten first team, voted unanimously by the media and coaches.
Forward Kylee Kitts got a spot on the conference's freshman team, and senior Chance Gray rounded out the honors with an honorable mention.
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Ohio State tied Iowa for the second-highest number of players honored in the conference awards, just behind UCLA 's six. However, the Buckeyes were still reminded of the "snubbed" feeling they had going into the season unranked by ESPN.
"We felt like it should have gone a different way," Jaloni Cambridge said. "For not just me, but a lot of us. So, definitely a motivator for a lot of us, but I don't think that we [need to] prove anything. ... We went from unranked to top-10 ranked."
Neither Jaloni nor Kennedy Cambridge went into the specifics of which honors they thought the Buckeyes were overlooked for.
From Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff's perspective, both Cambridge sisters had the potential to win individual awards. McGuff considered Jaloni Cambridge a contender for Big Ten Player of the Year, which also went to Betts.
Ohio State Buckeyes guard Jaloni Cambridge (22) drives to the basket between Michigan Wolverines guard Syla Swords (12) and Michigan Wolverines guard Olivia Olson (1) during the NCAA women's basketball game at the Jerome Schottenstein Center on Feb. 25, 2026. Ohio State lost 88-86 in overtime.
Jaloni Cambridge was the Big Ten's top scorer, averaging 23.4 points, in addition to ranking top 10 in assists with 4.5 per game.
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"They went to Lauren Betts , who's had an amazing season," McGuff said. "I can understand why she got the votes. Sometimes the awards don't go your way. The only thing you can do is show up and remind people how good you are, and you do that on the court."
The Buckeyes began their postseason by defeating Indiana 83-59 in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.
More: 3 takeaways from Ohio State women's Big Ten Tournament win over Indiana
After starting slow with no points in the first quarter, Jaloni Cambridge recorded a team-high 19 points and five assists. Cambridge also notched eight rebounds to help Ohio State beat Indiana 45-33 on the boards.
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Kennedy Cambridge grabbed just one steal as foul trouble restricted her game. On the offense, she had a stronger showing, scoring 14 points.
"Defensively, I was a bit jumpy," Kennedy Cambridge said. "I feel like there were sometimes I should have stayed down, sometimes I shouldn't have reached. I think I was a little bit questioning myself. But it happened, I'm going to try again [against Minnesota ]."
Indiana Hoosiers forward Edessa Noyan (8) defends the basket as Ohio State Buckeyes guard Kennedy Cambridge (3) drives to the basket as the Indiana Hoosiers face the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second round of the Big Ten women's basketball tournament Thursday, March 5, 2026, at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, in Indianapolis. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Indiana Hoosiers by a score of 83-59.
No. 5 seed Ohio State enters its quarterfinals matchup against No. 4 seed Minnesota on March 6 with a chance for redemption beyond the conference awards, as they fell to the Golden Gophers 74-61 in the regular season.
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"I feel like everybody wants it," Kennedy Cambridge said. "Everybody wants to showcase their talent, everybody. That's all we want, is to win."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State women's basketball has key motivator for Big Ten Tournament
