Ohio State Advances to Fourth Big Ten Tournament Semifinals in Last Five Years

Friday, March 6

approx. 2:30 p.m.

Ohio State

26-6,13-5Big Ten

No. 19/20 Minnesota (No. 4 seed)

22-8,13-5Big Ten

Ohio St.

Minnesota

Photo by: Ohio State Athletics

Ohio State Advances to Fourth Big Ten Tournament Semifinals in Last Five Years

3/6/2026 4:48:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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The Buckeyes earned a 60-55 win over No. 4 seeded Minnesota in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Photos | Tournament Central | Bracket

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The No. 11/11 ranked and No. 5 seeded Ohio State women's basketball team (26-6, 13-5 B1G) defeated No. 19/20 and No. 4 seeded Minnesota (22-8, 13-5 B1G) by a 60-55 margin in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday.

Each team held a lead during the opening quarter of play and Minnesota was ahead by a narrow 18-16 margin after 10 minutes. The Buckeyes used a 16-10 second quarter to take a 32-28 lead into the locker room. The third quarter was a back-and-forth affair as Ohio State held the 47-42 lead after 30 minutes. Scoring was even in the fourth quarter as the Buckeyes earned the 60-55 win.

Jaloni Cambridge was the first Buckeye in double figures, doing so with 13 points in the first half on the way to 17 points total. Elsa Lemmilä (17) and Chance Gray (13) joined J. Cambridge in double figures. Lemmilä added 11 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season.

Quarter-by-Quarter Recap

Q1: Minnesota opened scoring before Lemmilä evened the score. The Gophers used a 7-0 run to build an early 11-4 lead. Ohio State used an extended 9-1 run, including a trio of three-pointers, to take its first lead of the game at 13-12 with just under three minutes remaining in the quarter. The Buckeyes trailed 18-16 after 10 minutes of play.
Q2: Defenses were strong at the beginning of the second quarter as each team scored four points in the first four minutes of the quarter. The Buckeyes scored six unanswered points over the next minute to take a 26-22 lead with 4:40 to play before halftime. Scoring was even down the stretch and the Buckeyes took a 32-28 lead into the locker room.
Q3: The Gophers scored on their opening possession. The Buckeyes responded with the next five points to increase their lead to 37-30. The Ohio State defense kept Minnesota off the board for 3:45. The teams alternated baskets as the Buckeyes held a 44-39 advantage with two minutes to play in the third. Ava Watson made a jumper with seconds remaining to give Ohio State a 47-42 lead heading into the final quarter.
Q4: Neither team scored for the first two minutes until Watson opened scoring with a three-pointer. The Gophers cut their deficit to three at 50-47 and 52-49 before back-to-back layups from Lemmilä. Minnesota again got within three at 58-55 with 1:32 to play. J. Cambridge capped scoring at 60-55 with a driving layup with 16 seconds to play.

Game Notes

The Buckeyes will make their fourth Big Ten Tournament semifinals appearance in the last five seasons.
This is the Buckeyes' 12^th game of the season against a ranked opponent and ninth away from Columbus.
This is Ohio State's sixth ranked game of the season.
This is the 17^th game of the season that Ohio State has totaled 10 or more steals, finishing today's game with 12 steals.
In the Feb. 18 meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota committed nine turnovers in the game. Today, the Gophers totaled 11 turnovers in the first half. Minnesota's 21 turnovers today was a season-high. The Gophers are top five nationally for fewest average turnovers per game this season. This is the 19^th time this season that the Buckeyes have forced 20 or more turnovers.
Jaloni Cambridge has scored in double figures in all 32 games this season. She finished with 17 points today to bring her season total to 739, ranking seventh in program history.
Elsa Lemmilä scored in double figures for the 14^th time this season with 17 points today. She added 11 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season. She's had 10 or more rebounds in each of the last six games. She's tied for eighth in program history with 70 blocks this season.
Kennedy Cambridge has had at least one steal in all 32 games this season and has three or more steals 25 times. She totaled six steals today to bring her season total to 127 steals, building upon her program record. Her 127 steals this season ranks second in Big Ten history.
Chance Gray scored in double figures for the 25^th time this season with 13 points today.
Q1: Lemmilä led all players with seven points in the quarter.
Q2: J. Cambridge had 10 points in the quarter as the Buckeyes shot 8-of-16 (.500) from the floor, compared to the Gophers' 5-of-14 (.357).
Q3: All five Buckeye starters scored in the quarter.
Q4: J. Cambridge capped scoring with a driving layup with 16 seconds to play.

Up Next

The Buckeyes will face No. 2 ranked and No. 1 seeded UCLA in Saturday's semifinals. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on BTN and AM1460.

For ticketing information, 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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