The No. 10 Ohio State women’s basketball team lost 74-61 to No. 23 Minnesota, marking the first time this season the Buckeyes have fallen in back-to-back games.
Here are three takeaways from the Buckeyes’ loss on Feb. 18:
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Ohio State vs Minnesota: No. 10 OSU women’s basketball loses at No. 23 Minnesota
Ohio State’s post play continues to make little impact in crucial games
Following their rough outings in OSU’s 76-75 loss to No. 14 Maryland on Feb. 15, center Elsa Lemmila and forward Kylee Kitts failed to bounce back against Minnesota.
Kitts was virtually a non-factor, going scoreless and grabbing two rebounds. Lemmila recorded 5 points and 10 rebounds, with only one of those boards coming on the offensive end.
Forward Ella Hobbs played seven minutes off the bench after seeing no time against Maryland, but contributed just 3 points.
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Minnesota center Sophie Hart got the better of the Buckeyes’ post players, locking in for every battle on the block and holding a strong box-out, no matter which side of the court. Hart finished with 18 points, and she notched five offensive and five defensive rebounds.
Ohio State’s Elsa Lemmila had 10 rebounds against Minnesota, but only one of those boards came on the offensive end.
Point guard Jaloni Cambridge was Ohio State’s top rebounder for the second straight game, grabbing seven boards on a night when the Buckeyes totaled 32. Minnesota recorded 47 rebounds.
More: No. 10 OSU women’s basketball loses at No. 23 Minnesota
Defense fails to generate offense for Ohio State vs Minnesota
Ohio State’s offense typically thrives on its defense, converting an average of 25 points per game off turnovers, and going into the Minnesota matchup, the Buckeyes led the Big Ten by forcing an average of 22.7 turnovers a game.
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Minnesota, meanwhile, averaged just 10.3 turnovers, a conference low. Against Ohio State, the Gophers again kept their play clean with just nine turnovers, despite the Buckeyes’ strong press.
Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said it was a mistake for the Buckeyes to temporarily stop running their press in the third quarter of a 74-61 loss to Minnesota.
In the third quarter, Ohio State temporarily stopped running its press, which coach Kevin McGuff later admitted was a “mistake.”
The matchup marked the second time this season that the Buckeyes had more turnovers than their opponent, finishing with 11. The first was Ohio State’s 100-68 loss to top-ranked and still unbeaten UConn. OSU had 24 turnovers that game, while the Huskies had 13.
USC matchup increases in importance for Ohio State going into tournament play
The Buckeyes have dropped to fifth in the Big Ten. That would earn them only one bye instead of a double-bye into the quarterfinals of the conference tournament, which goes to the top four seeds.
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To avoid a late-season skid jeopardizing their position even further, the Buckeyes need a victory over USC on Feb. 22.
With star guard Juju Watkins out for the year with an ACL injury, the Trojans have had a rollercoaster of a season. USC is currently on a five-game winning streak, which includes a victory over No. 13 Iowa, but is still sitting ninth in the conference with a 16-9 Big Ten record.
Ohio State guard Jaloni Cambridge drives to the basket past USC guard Kennedy Smith on Feb. 8, 2025.
Guard Jazzy Davidson has stepped up for USC. She is a Big Ten Freshman of the Year contender, averaging 17.2 points and 2.2 blocks per game.
If the Buckeyes get back in the win column against USC, it will be their first victory over the Trojans since 2006, when OSU won 77-58. They have lost the two matchups since.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State women’s basketball fall to Minnesota: 3 takeaways
