In its first game of the Pink Flamingo championship in the Bahamas, Ohio State (4-1) overcame a slow start to defeat Belmont (3-3) 68-56 on Monday.
The Buckeyes trailed at halftime 31-30, but held the Bruins to just 25 points on 8-31 shooting in the second half to win the game.
The Buckeyes struggled early on against the Bruins. After giving up the first four points of the game, Ohio State surged in front with a three-point jumper from junior guard Chance Gray and a mid-range jumper from sophomore point guard Jaloni Cambridge.
The two teams would continue to fight for the lead and Ohio State went up by two points when Cambridge drained a three-point jumper with just over three minutes to go in the first quarter. However, Belmont closed the opening frame with a 7-0 scoring run to take an 18-13 lead into the second quarter.
Cambridge made another three-pointer to open the second quarter, and after two free throws from senior guard T’yana Todd, the game was tied at 18.
Still, the Buckeyes’ defense struggled to get stops, and Belmont went on a 10-4 scoring run to create what was then its largest lead of the game.
After sophomore guard Ava Watson made a couple of free throws, Belmont grew its lead to seven with a three-point jumper from Avery Strickland.
Despite not playing at its best in the first half, Ohio State got back into the game when Gray made two three-point jumpers in the final 2:11 of the first half. Gray’s three-pointers made the score 31-30 in favor of the Bruins at halftime.
Ohio State came out with a different level of defensive intensity in the second half. The Buckeyes held the Bruins scoreless over the first two minutes of the third quarter to take a 36-31 lead.
The Buckeyes led 38-32 after a pair of free throws from Cambridge, but were held scoreless for the next 3:48 as Belmont cut the lead to 4.
Redshirt freshman forward Kylee Kitts ended Ohio State’s scoring drought with a pair of free throws, but the Bruins responded with a three-point jumper. Cambridge converted a three-point play on the other end after making a layup and being fouled. After Belmont guard Emily La Chappell made her second three-point jumper in as many possessions, Ohio State freshman Brynn Martin answered with her own three-point jumper to keep the Buckeyes up six. Belmont didn’t go away after an Ohio State scoring barrage. Instead, the Bruins tied the game at 48 with an 8-2 scoring run to close the third quarter.
Ohio State responded from its poor finish to the third quarter by opening the final frame with an 8-0 scoring run.
The Bruins only scored their first point of the fourth quarter on a free throw from guard Tuti Jones at the 7:17 mark, but Gray made another three-pointer to extend Ohio State’s lead to 11. The Bruins got back in the game with a 7-1 scoring run that made the score 61-56 with 3:49 to go, but the Buckeyes were dominant from there. Ohio State didn’t allow a single point over the final 3:49 and scored the final seven to win by 12.
Cambridge was Ohio State’s leading scorer in the win. She finished the game with 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting (56.3 percent) and also had two assists and six rebounds. Gray (17 points) and Kitts (12 points) also reached double-figures.
As a team, Ohio State did not shoot the ball well. The Buckeyes made just 20-57 field goal attempts for a season-low shooting percentage of 35.1. However, the Buckeyes managed to turn over the Bruins 19 times.
Jones was Belmont’s leading scorer. She had 19 points, shooting 6-12 from the field.
