No. 9 Ohio State women’s basketball (21-3) held off No. 24 Washington’s (17-6) attempted fourth-quarter comeback and won 70-60 on Feb. 5.
Here are three takes from the Buckeyes‘ top-25 win:
OSU women’s basketball: OSU women’s basketball earns first AP poll top-10 ranking this season
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Jaloni Cambridge records another game-solidifying moment for Ohio State
Jaloni Cambridge has been making clutch shots for Ohio State since the third game of her freshman campaign, completing a three-point play to pull the Buckeyes ahead 67-63 in the final 13 seconds against Belmont last season.
While Cambridge’s long jumper against Washington occurred with 1:38 remaining, and Ohio State was already ahead 64-60, the moment still solidified the victory. Before Cambridge hit the shot, Washington had built an 11-2 run.
Cambridge recorded a team-high 26 points, shooting 12-for-21 (57.1%) from the field.
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Cambridge averages 22.7 points per game, which is the second-best in the Big Ten behind Indiana guard Shay Ciezki, and Cambridge’s average in the second half of games is 12.9.
Ohio State Buckeyes guard Jaloni Cambridge (22) shoots the ball against Wisconsin Badgers guard Lily Krahn (4) in the second half of the NCAA basketball game at Value City Arena on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio.
Ohio State fails to find first-half consistency
Throughout the season, the Buckeyes have allowed opponents to stick around by underperforming in the first or second quarters.
More Ohio State women: No. 9 Ohio State women record road victory over No. 24 Washington
Ohio State had a strong start against the Huskies, shooting 58.8% from the field and taking a 22-14 lead after the first 10 minutes of play, despite Cambridge sitting on the bench for nearly four minutes due to foul trouble.
Ohio State’s Jaloni Cambridge (22) averages 22.7 points per game.
Once the second quarter began, the Buckeyes took a step back, recording just nine points while committing five turnovers before halftime. The performance gave Washington the opportunity to pull within four points at the break.
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Coach Kevin McGuff has expressed Ohio State’s need to play “closer to 40 minutes” to be true contenders in the Big Ten.
Kevin McGuff records 500th career win while facing old team
Before McGuff joined the Buckeyes in 2013, he spent two seasons coaching Washington, leading the Huskies to a 41-26 record during that span.
Back in Seattle for the second time since making the move to OSU, McGuff recorded his 500th career win. McGuff considered hitting the milestone while facing Washington “ironic.”
McGuff has a 245-112 record at Ohio State.
Ohio State basketball coach Kevin McGuff has 500 career wins.
The Buckeyes will stay on the West Coast for one more game, with a matchup against Oregon scheduled for Feb. 8 at 3 p.m.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State women defeat Washington in top-25 matchup: 3 takeaways
