No. 19 Ohio State women pull away in second half to beat Rutgers 71-49

By Canadian Press on January 4, 2026.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jaloni Cambridge finished with 18 points, Chance Gray scored 17 and No. 19 Ohio State pulled away in the second half to beat Rutgers 71-49 on Sunday.

Cambridge made 7 of 18 shots with a 3-pointer and 3 of 4 free throws for the Buckeyes (13-2, 3-1 Big Ten Conference). Gray sank 7 of 15 shots — 1 of 6 from beyond the arc — and both her foul shots.

Elsa Lemmilä pitched in with 10 points and 11 rebounds to help Ohio State outscore the Scarlet Knights (8-7, 0-4) by 17 in the second half. It was the sophomore’s first double-double of the season and the second of her career.

Faith Blackstone had 15 points to lead Rutgers and Imani Lester scored 14.

Lester scored eight on 4-for-5 shooting to help Rutgers take a 17-14 lead after one quarter. The Scarlet Knights shot 61.5% in the first 10 minutes while the Buckeyes missed 10 of 15 attempts.

Kennedy Cambridge, Jaloni’s older sister, had back-to-back baskets, Ava Watson hit a 3-pointer and Gray had a three-point play to finish an 11-0 run as Ohio State moved in front 31-23 with 1:14 left before halftime. Kaylah Ivey hit a 3-pointer to cut Rutgers’ deficit to five at the break.

Blackstone scored for Rutgers to begin the third quarter, but Gray followed with a 3-pointer and another three-point play in an 8-0 spurt and Ohio State led 39-28 before settling for a 51-42 advantage heading to the fourth. Ohio State allowed only seven points in the fourth quarter.

Up next

Rutgers: Hosts No. 7 Maryland on Wednesday.

Ohio State: Visits Illinois on Wednesday.

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The Associated Press

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