No. 13 Ohio State women’s basketball made No. 8 Michigan earn its win.
The Buckeyes looked defeated when the Wolverines took a three-point lead with 10 seconds on the clock, but following a chaotic sequence of events, center Elsa Lemmila forced a Michigan turnover with less than a second remaining, and Jaloni Cambridge was fouled attempting a 3-pointer. She made all her free throws to force overtime.
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OSU (23-6) was unable to capitalize on its early success in overtime, and the Wolverines (23-5) won 88-86 on Feb. 25 at the Schottenstein Center.
“I think both teams had opportunities,” Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. “We didn’t quite capitalize on some of the opportunities we had. … It’s a tough loss because we played really hard, we poured a lot into it.”
Cambridge finished with 22 points, while Lemmila put together her fourth double-double of the season, recording 11 points and 15 rebounds. The 6-foot-6 center also notched two steals.
Prior to Cambridge hitting all three free throws to tie the game 71-71, guard Syla Swords drained a basket from beyond the arc off an inbound pass to give the Wolverines a 74-71 lead.
Ohio State Buckeyes guard Jaloni Cambridge (22) passes around Michigan Wolverines forward Ashley Sofilkanich (15) during the NCAA women’s basketball game at the Jerome Schottenstein Center on Feb. 25, 2026.
Swords scored 12 of her 22 points off 3-pointers.
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In the first minute of overtime, Ohio State went on a 5-0 run to take control of the game and pulled ahead 86-78 with 1:40 to go.
However, the Wolverines quickly capitalized on lapses in Ohio State’s defense and went on a 10-0 run that ended with Olivia Olson driving to the basket for a game-winning layup.
“They just made shots,” Cambridge said. “We were there [defensively], but they just made shots.”
Olson had the most critical performance for Michigan, leading her team with 31 points and nine rebounds. In the second and third quarters, where the Wolverines outscored the Buckeyes 47-25, the sophomore guard went 9-for-14 from the field (64.3%) and put together 19 points.
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Ohio State guard Chance Gray hit one last 3-point basket ahead of the half-court line, though time had already run out.
“I think we had plenty of opportunities to win the game prior to that,” Gray said. “But I was just trying to fight until the end of the game.”
Ohio State Buckeyes center Elsa Lemmilä (12) looks to pass in front of Michigan Wolverines guard Olivia Olson (1) during the NCAA women’s basketball game at the Jerome Schottenstein Center on Feb. 25, 2026.
The Buckeyes had a 28-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.
After going 50% from the field in the first quarter, Ohio State shot 38.5% in the second and 25% in the third, which put the Buckeyes behind 61-53 entering the final 10 minutes.
The Buckeyes were also hurt by their performance on the boards, as they were outrebounded 46-33. Michigan’s 14 offensive rebounds led to 24 second-chance points.
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“We had to help her [Lemmila] a lot more,” Gray said. “We have to be better as a team, we’ve been emphasizing it in practice. I know we’re a small team. Obviously, rebounding isn’t my strength, rebounding isn’t a lot of the team’s strength.”
More: Can Ohio State women’s basketball avoid being beaten on the boards?
Ohio State closes out the regular season on the road against No. 15 Michigan State on March 1. Tipoff is set for noon.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State women’s basketball defeated by Michigan in overtime
