Ohio State Captures 75-54 Victory Against Howard in NCAA First Round

Saturday, March 21

Columbus, Ohio

11:30 AM

Ohio State

27-7,13-5Big Ten

Howard (No. 14 seed)

26-8,13-1MEAC

Howard

Ohio St.

Photo by: Ohio State Athletics

Ohio State Captures 75-54 Victory Against Howard in NCAA First Round

3/21/2026 2:58:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

The Buckeyes had four double figure scorers and will play in the second round on Monday.

Photos | Tournament Central | Bracket

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 12/11 ranked and No. 3 seeded Ohio State women's basketball team (27-7, 13-5 B1G) defeated No. 14 seeded Howard (26-8, 13-1 MEAC) by a 75-54 margin on Saturday inside the Schottenstein Center in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The first quarter featured back-and-forth action as Ohio State held the 20-15 advantage after 10 minutes. The Buckeyes put together two double-digit scoring runs during the second quarter, outscoring the Bison 23-4 in the frame to take a 43-19 lead into halftime. Ohio State held a 62-36 lead after 30 minutes of play. Scoring alternated in the final quarter as Ohio State earned a 75-54 win.

Jaloni Cambridge was the first in the game to reach double figures, scoring 14 first-half points on her way to 21 points in the game. Chance Gray, Kennedy Cambridge and Ava Watson joined J. Cambridge in double figures, each scoring 11 points. Elsa Lemmilä led the game with 11 rebounds.

Quarter-by-Quarter Recap

Q1: Howard opened scoring before Elsa Lemmilä got Ohio State on the board with a three-point play. Kennedy Cambridge went on a 5-0 run to give the Buckeyes an 8-4 lead before the Bison tied the game at eight midway through the quarter. Howard took a pair of two-point leads but back-to-back three-pointers from Chance Gray gave Ohio State the 18-14 advantage with a minute remaining in the quarter. The Buckeyes led 20-15 after 10 minutes.
Q2: Ohio State scored the first 10 points of the second quarter, holding Howard scoreless for the first 4:37 of the frame. The Buckeyes extended their lead to 43-17 with an 11-0 run, including six unanswered points from J. Cambridge. The Bison did not make a field goal until 36 seconds remaining in the quarter, missing their first 10 field goal attempts. Ohio State led by a 43-19 margin going into the locker room.
Q3: K. Cambridge opened scoring in the third quarter and Howard got to the line multiple times after its first field goal of the quarter. A three-point play from J. Cambridge gave the Buckeyes a 54-32 lead midway through the frame. Ohio State used a 6-0 run to build a 30-point lead at 62-32 and held the 62-36 advantage after three quarters of play.
Q4: Watson began the fourth quarter with her second triple of the game before six unanswered points from the Bison. The teams alternated scoring as Watson made a third triple to reach double figures as the Buckeyes led 72-45 with four minutes to play. Scoring was capped at 75-54 with a last-second Howard layup.

Game Notes

The Buckeyes are making their 30^th NCAA Tournament appearance and hosting for the fourth consecutive season.
Ohio State is 34-29 all-time in NCAA Tournament games.
The Buckeyes did not allow a three-pointer for the first time since Feb. 9, 2020 against Wisconsin.
All nine Buckeyes who played more than five minutes scored points and
Jaloni Cambridge has scored in double figures in each of the Buckeyes' 34 games this season and has 20 or more points in 20 games. She finished with a game-high 21 points. J. Cambridge now ranks fourth among single season records with 292 field goals made.
Chance Gray recorded her 27^th game of the season with 10 or more points, totaling 11 points today.
For the 14^th time this season, Kennedy Cambridge finished with 10 or more points as she had 11 points today. She has a steal in each of the Buckeyes' 34 games this season and increased her season total to 130 steals with two today.
Elsa Lemmilä totaled 10 or more rebounds for the 10^th time this season with a game-high 11 rebounds today.
Q1: The quarter featured five ties and five lead changes.
Q2: Ohio State put together runs of 10 and 13 during the second quarter, forcing Howard to shoot 1-of-11 from the field and miss its first 10 field goal attempts.
H1: The Buckeye defense forced 14 turnovers and recorded eight steals during the first half.
Q3: Ohio State shot 6-of-12 (.500) from the floor and 3-of-6 (.500) from beyond the arc.

Up Next

Ohio State advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament to face the winner of No. 6 seed Notre Dame vs. No. 11 seed Fairfield on Monday. The time and TV network will be determined later.

All session and single session tickets for the NCAA Women's Basketball First and Second Rounds are available HERE. For additional ticketing information and any questions, please contact the Ohio State Athletics Ticket Office by calling 1-(800)-GO-BUCKS or by emailing athletic.tix@osu.edu. Representatives are available via phone Monday through Friday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. ET.

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