By Danielle Daniels
12/29/2024
The Buckeyes defeated the Scarlet Knights 77-63 in a Sunday matinee in Piscataway.
BOX SCORE
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The No. 10/9 Ohio State women’s basketball team (13-0, 2-0 B1G) beat Rutgers (8-5, 0-2 B1G) by a 77-63 margin on Sunday afternoon on the road in the final game of the calendar year.
Ohio State got off to a quick start in the first quarter, leading 15-4 just over three minutes into the game and 23-16 after the first quarter. The Buckeyes outscored the Scarlet Knights by a 23-9 mark in the second quarter, not allowing back-to-back baskets throughout the quarter and taking a 46-25 lead into the locker room. Despite Rutgers scoring the first nine points of the third quarter, Ohio State held the 62-45 advantage after 30 minutes. Scoring wrapped up with the Buckeyes up 77-63 after a back-and-forth final quarter.
Ajae Petty was the first Buckeye to reach double figures, doing so in the second quarter and finishing with 16 points. Taylor Thierry (14), Cotie McMahon (16) and Chance Gray (15) joined Petty in double figures. Petty added 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season, while McMahon recorded her first double-double of the season by adding 11 rebounds. Jaloni Cambridge totaled a career-high seven assists. Gray reached 1,000 career points in the game.
How it Happened
Petty opened the scoring with a trip to the line and the Buckeyes scored the first three points of the game. Ohio State forced a Rutgers timeout less than three minutes into the game by building a 13-4 lead. The Buckeyes led by as many as nine points at 15-4 before the Scarlet Knights put together an extended run and got as close as four points at 20-16 with one minute remaining in the quarter. Ava Watson wrapped up the quarter with a deep three with just four seconds on the clock as Ohio State led 23-16.
Petty again started scoring at the free throw line in the second quarter. A 5-0 Buckeye run stretched their lead to 32-20 with six minutes to play in the first half, prompting a Scarlet Knights timeout. Ohio State scored five and six points at a time throughout the thick of the second quarter and Watson capped first-half scoring with a pair of free throws to send the Buckeyes into the locker room with a 46-25 lead.
Rutgers scored the first nine points of the third quarter to trim its deficit to 46-34 with seven minutes to play in the third. OSU held a 47-36 lead at the media timeout and scored the next five points on the floor to increase the lead to 52-36. The Buckeyes strung together eight unanswered points to stretch the lead to 60-37 with just under two minutes in the quarter. Ohio State led by a 62-45 margin with one quarter remaining.
The Scarlet Knights opened the fourth quarter with the first six points as the Buckeyes led by a 62-51 margin with eight minutes to play. Ohio State had a 5-0 run and Rutgers had a 6-0 run as the Buckeyes led 71-62 with two minutes remaining. Scoring was capped at 77-63 with a Thierry layup.
Highlights
- Q1: McMahon three-pointer
- Q1: Gray three-pointer
- Q1: Thierry transition layup
- Q1: McMahon three-pointer
- Q1: Watson three-pointer
- Q2: McMahon coast-to-coast
- Q2: Petty to Thierry
- Q2: Walker cut to basket
- Q3: McMahon and-one
- Q3: K. Cambridge dish
- Q3: Cambridge connection
- Q4: J. Cambridge dish
- Q4: Gray 1,000th point
Match Notes
- Ohio State totaled at least 10 steals for the 10th time this season, finishing the game with 15 steals.
- The Buckeye defense forced 20 or more turnovers for the 11th time this season as the Scarlet Knights committed 22 turnovers.
- Chance Gray scored in double figures for the 11th time this season, finishing today’s game with 15 points. She reached 1,000 points in her career with 791 of those points coming the past two seasons at Oregon.
- Ajae Petty reached double figures for the eighth time this season as she totaled 16 points today and was the first Buckeye to score 10 points. She added 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season and the 23rd of her career.
- Taylor Thierry’s eighth double-figure scoring effort of the season was good for 14 points.
- Cotie McMahon also scored 10 or more points for the eighth time this season with 16 points today. She added 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season and ninth of her career.
- Jaloni Cambridge made her return to the lineup and finished with a career-high seven assists.
- Q1: The Buckeye defense forced seven Rutgers turnovers and recorded four steals in the quarter.
- Q2: Ohio State didn’t allow back-to-back baskets during the quarter, outscoring Rutgers 23-9 in the frame.
- H1: Ohio State’s defense did not allow a three-pointer during the half as Rutgers was 0-of-8 from long range.
Up Next
Ohio State returns home to host Northwestern on Sunday, Jan. 5 at 1 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on B1G+ and AM1460.
Ohio State women’s basketball tickets for the 2024-25 season are available online as Buckeye Nation continues to make Value City Arena in the Schottenstein Center one of the most exciting venues in the country. The Buckeyes have holideals for multiple winter sports, including women’s basketball, now through the end of the calendar year with the deal applying to specific games throughout the season. View more information about the holideals and purchase tickets HERE.
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