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INDIANAPOLIS - Ohio State women's basketball has needed its sophomores to step up this season, especially once the Buckeyes hit tournament play.
After opening their Big Ten Tournament run with a dominant 83-59 victory over No. 13 seed Indiana, No. 5 seed Ohio State defeated No. 4 seed Minnesota 60-55 to advance to the semifinals.
The play of Buckeyes Jaloni Cambridge, Elsa Lemmila and Ava Watson was essential in securing the win against the Golden Gophers.
More: Ohio State relies on defense for Big Ten Tournament win vs Minnesota
With 16 seconds on the clock and Ohio State up by just three points, it was Cambridge who solidified the win, driving for a layup in front of the basket to set the final score.
"The lane was open," Cambridge said. "They were trying to stop me from getting the handoff, so it was just countering it and coming back to the ball. I got the ball, and I had the big girl on me. I knew I could get around her."
While Cambridge has led the Buckeyes all season, averaging a Big Ten-best 23.4 points and ranking in the conference's top-10 in assists with 4.5 per game, Lemmila and Watson have grown into their current roles.
Lemmila knew she'd be the starting center after Ajae Petty graduated last year. However, she underwent two lower-body surgeries during the offseason, leaving her with a lack of confidence in her body and ability.
In nonconference play, Lemmila averaged 5.3 points and 4.2 rebounds, but slowly, against Big Ten opponents, she started to hit her stride.
"It's definitely better than the beginning of the season," Lemmila said. "I can gain a lot of confidence from defense. ... And if anything, I have more confidence than I did last year."
Lemmila's numbers improved to 10.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game against Big Ten opponents, and she closed out the regular season recording a conference-high 65 blocks.
The only regular-season conference game in which Lemmila seemed to be trending backwards was against Minnesota.
Tasked with guarding Sophie Hart, Lemmila allowed the Golden Gophers' center to record 18 points and 10 rebounds.
"I just realized this is not how I want to play," Lemmila said. "This is not how I want my teammates to see me playing."
Lemmila viewed the quarterfinal matchup as a chance for redemption, though she struggled through the first half defending Hart, who went into halftime with a double-double.
Working with assistant coach Ryan Murray at halftime, Lemmila adjusted her defensive strategy and limited Hart to just two points off free throws in the second half. Lemmila also contributed a double-double in the game with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
"I'm really proud of her," Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. "She played great. I thought, even though Sophie Hart got off to a great start and she's a great player, for the second, third and fourth quarters, Elsa really battled with her and made it tough on her. But even just her presence in the paint stopped a lot of drives."
Watson began the season as the Buckeyes' sixth player, but when forward Kylee Kitts was sidelined with a right-shoulder injury, Watson was given the starting nod.
Even with Kitts returning in early February, McGuff has opted to keep Watson as a starter and continue running a four-guard lineup.
"Starting doesn't really help my confidence," Watson said. "Just going out there and being the energy, whether I'm starting or not, I'm always going to have a good chip on my shoulder and confidence going into the game."
Against Minnesota in the quarterfinals, Watson barely made an impact during the first half. Walking into the locker room with zero points, Watson had also struggled to stop Minnesota from driving for easy baskets – much to her frustration.
"My coaches always call me a mini bully," Watson said. "I just try to go out there and be fearless and be feisty, try to annoy my opponents. Basically, I want them to be tired of me."
Loosening up in the second half, Watson helped hold Minnesota guard Amaya Battle, who had scored seven points in the first half, to just three additional points.
Watson's offensive game also began to flow. She hit a 3-point basket to start Ohio State's second-half scoring and finished with eight points.
"We know she's one of our best shooters," Cambridge said. "We've told her that all year. So, when we came back, we told her to forget the first half, and we told her to shoot the ball."
The Buckeyes face No. 1 seed UCLA in the semifinals on March 7. Tipoff is 2 p.m.
[email protected]
@brimackay15
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State women's basketball sophomores crucial in Big Ten Tournament
Continue reading...
After opening their Big Ten Tournament run with a dominant 83-59 victory over No. 13 seed Indiana, No. 5 seed Ohio State defeated No. 4 seed Minnesota 60-55 to advance to the semifinals.
The play of Buckeyes Jaloni Cambridge, Elsa Lemmila and Ava Watson was essential in securing the win against the Golden Gophers.
More: Ohio State relies on defense for Big Ten Tournament win vs Minnesota
With 16 seconds on the clock and Ohio State up by just three points, it was Cambridge who solidified the win, driving for a layup in front of the basket to set the final score.
"The lane was open," Cambridge said. "They were trying to stop me from getting the handoff, so it was just countering it and coming back to the ball. I got the ball, and I had the big girl on me. I knew I could get around her."
While Cambridge has led the Buckeyes all season, averaging a Big Ten-best 23.4 points and ranking in the conference's top-10 in assists with 4.5 per game, Lemmila and Watson have grown into their current roles.
Lemmila knew she'd be the starting center after Ajae Petty graduated last year. However, she underwent two lower-body surgeries during the offseason, leaving her with a lack of confidence in her body and ability.
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In nonconference play, Lemmila averaged 5.3 points and 4.2 rebounds, but slowly, against Big Ten opponents, she started to hit her stride.
"It's definitely better than the beginning of the season," Lemmila said. "I can gain a lot of confidence from defense. ... And if anything, I have more confidence than I did last year."
Lemmila's numbers improved to 10.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game against Big Ten opponents, and she closed out the regular season recording a conference-high 65 blocks.
The only regular-season conference game in which Lemmila seemed to be trending backwards was against Minnesota.
Tasked with guarding Sophie Hart, Lemmila allowed the Golden Gophers' center to record 18 points and 10 rebounds.
"I just realized this is not how I want to play," Lemmila said. "This is not how I want my teammates to see me playing."
You must be registered for see images
Lemmila viewed the quarterfinal matchup as a chance for redemption, though she struggled through the first half defending Hart, who went into halftime with a double-double.
Working with assistant coach Ryan Murray at halftime, Lemmila adjusted her defensive strategy and limited Hart to just two points off free throws in the second half. Lemmila also contributed a double-double in the game with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
"I'm really proud of her," Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. "She played great. I thought, even though Sophie Hart got off to a great start and she's a great player, for the second, third and fourth quarters, Elsa really battled with her and made it tough on her. But even just her presence in the paint stopped a lot of drives."
How Ava Watson impacted quarterfinals win vs Minnesota
Watson began the season as the Buckeyes' sixth player, but when forward Kylee Kitts was sidelined with a right-shoulder injury, Watson was given the starting nod.
Even with Kitts returning in early February, McGuff has opted to keep Watson as a starter and continue running a four-guard lineup.
"Starting doesn't really help my confidence," Watson said. "Just going out there and being the energy, whether I'm starting or not, I'm always going to have a good chip on my shoulder and confidence going into the game."
Against Minnesota in the quarterfinals, Watson barely made an impact during the first half. Walking into the locker room with zero points, Watson had also struggled to stop Minnesota from driving for easy baskets – much to her frustration.
"My coaches always call me a mini bully," Watson said. "I just try to go out there and be fearless and be feisty, try to annoy my opponents. Basically, I want them to be tired of me."
You must be registered for see images attach
Loosening up in the second half, Watson helped hold Minnesota guard Amaya Battle, who had scored seven points in the first half, to just three additional points.
Watson's offensive game also began to flow. She hit a 3-point basket to start Ohio State's second-half scoring and finished with eight points.
"We know she's one of our best shooters," Cambridge said. "We've told her that all year. So, when we came back, we told her to forget the first half, and we told her to shoot the ball."
The Buckeyes face No. 1 seed UCLA in the semifinals on March 7. Tipoff is 2 p.m.
[email protected]
@brimackay15
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State women's basketball sophomores crucial in Big Ten Tournament
Continue reading...
