COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — If Ohio State wants to beat Maryland on the road, the Buckeyes will need to be tough on the glass.
Even 5-foot-7 Jaloni Cambridge is ready to do her part.
Cambridge had 28 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to help No. 19 Ohio State beat the eighth-ranked Terrapins 89-76 on Sunday. Cambridge, which had just scored 41 points against Illinois, filled up the stat sheet while playing all 40 minutes of the game.
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“I didn’t even know I had nine rebounds,” said Cambridge, who surpassed her previous career-high of eight rebounds. “I’m very grateful that I was able to help my team. It means a lot to me because I’m one of the smallest players on the field.”
The Buckeyes trailed by 15 points in the second quarter and narrowed the deficit to 2 points in the first half. Then they went on a 13-2 run in the fourth quarter.
After the game, they tied with Maryland 39-39 in rebounding.
“They’re one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country,” Ohio State coach Kevin McGough said. “We ended up even on the boards. I think those were two big things – our half-court defense and rebounding. We wouldn’t have won this game a month ago. We just weren’t good enough in both areas. To our players’ credit, we’ve been a lot better.”
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This also helped Ohio State shoot 50% from the field, 50% from three-point range, and 91% from the free throw line.
The Buckeyes have lost just twice this season — to UConn and UCLA, both teams ranked in the top five. Ohio State still has to play Iowa and face Maryland again, but a road win like this keeps the Buckeyes some distance from the top of the Big Ten.
As for Cambridge, she scored 28 points in last month’s loss to UCLA. Now she has proven that she can lead the team to defeat strong opponents on the road.
“Both ends of the floor,” Maryland coach Brenda Frazier said. “You just see her coast to coast and it’s a very difficult game to defend on the open court.”
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