Powered by a balanced offensive approach with five players scoring at least 9 points, Ohio State (10-1) defeated Norfolk State (5-9) 79-45 on Thursday.
The Buckeyes, which had previously struggled early on in their previous two games against low-major competition, had no issues with the Spartans. After the opening quarter, the Buckeyes led by at least 10 points for the rest of the game.
Still, the first couple of minutes didn’t go very well for the Buckeyes. Ohio State didn’t score on its first two possessions, as Norfolk State jumped in front 4-0. However, sophomore point guard Jaloni Cambridge scored the next seven points in the game to put the home team ahead by three.
The Buckeyes’ lead remained around three points until the Buckeyes closed the run on an 11-4 scoring run. The run featured three-point makes from sophomore guard Ava Watson, redshirt freshman forward Kylee Kitts and freshman guard Daria Biriuk.
The Buckeyes went on another scoring run in the second quarter, when junior guard Kennedy Cambridge made a layup and three-point jumper to put the Buckeyes up 35-18. Freshman guard Bryn Martin capped Ohio State’s 7-0 scoring run with a layup with 4:13 left in the first half.
Norfolk State ended a brief scoring drought with a three-point jumper at the 3:48 mark of the second quarter, but Ohio State scored the final six points of the first half to go into the break with a 43-21 lead.
The Buckeyes continued to play well in the second half. Ohio State scored the first six points of the third quarter to take a 49-21 lead.
Norfolk State managed to trim Ohio State’s lead to 23 in the third quarter, but Watson and Biriruk each made three-pointers to lead Ohio State on a 7-2 scoring run.
Norfolk State closed the third quarter on a 6-2 spurt, but still trailed 62-38 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Buckeyes’ defense played well to start the fourth quarter. Ohio State held the Spartans scoreless through the first five minutes of the opening frame to take a 70-38 lead.
The Buckeyes’ defense wasn’t quite as strong in the closing minutes, but their offensive efforts were good enough to solidify the 34-point win.
Kitts was Ohio State’s leading scorer in the win. The Buckeyes’ redshirt freshman forward shot 6-12 from the field to score 13 points. She also led the team with 10 rebounds. Jaloni Cambridge (11 points) and Biriuk (10 points) also reached double figures. Kennedy Cambridge led Ohio State with six assists.
As a team, Ohio State shot 30-69 from the field (43.5 percent) and held Norfolk State to an inefficient shooting night. The Spartans made just 18-59 field goals on the night (30.5 percent).
The Spartans were led in scoring by Jasha Clinton, who scored a game-high 18 points.
