COLUMBUS, Ohio — In an exciting overtime finish, freshman guard Jaloni Cambridge scored an impressive 29 points and contributed four assists, while teammate Cotie McMahon added 25 points and eight rebounds, helping No. 8 Ohio State overcome Iowa with a final score of 86-78 on Monday night.

Cambridge’s sister, Kennedy Cambridge, made a significant impact as well, achieving a personal best with 16 points for the Buckeyes, who improved their record to 22-3 overall and 11-3 in Big Ten play.

Iowa, now 18-8 and 8-7 in the conference, saw Lucy Olsen shine with 27 points and seven assists, although the team’s six-game winning streak came to an end. Kylie Feuerbach supported with 12 points and four assists, while Sydney Affolter and Hannah Stuelke contributed with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

In terms of takeaways, the Hawkeyes faced a tough challenge as they found themselves trailing by 14 points late in the first half. However, they maintained composure, steadily reducing the deficit before Olsen’s two free throws, with just 3.6 seconds remaining in regulation, tied the game and pushed it to overtime. On the other hand, Ohio State, which climbed one spot to eighth in the AP poll released just before the game, needs to improve its ability to maintain leads. Just a few days earlier, the Buckeyes squandered a similar 14-point lead against the Golden Gophers, necessitating overtime for the win. In this matchup, they led 69-57 with 1:35 left, only to see Iowa stage a 17-5 run to force extra play. Fortunately for Ohio State, they managed to secure the overtime victory and maintain their third-place position in the Big Ten standings.

The key moment of the game occurred in overtime when Ohio State held a narrow 79-78 lead. McMahon, who had struggled earlier by hitting just 2 of her first 12 attempts, drove to the basket and executed a difficult bank shot. Shortly thereafter, Kennedy Cambridge made a pivotal play by blocking a shot from Iowa’s Teagan Mallegni, setting up a breakaway layup by Taylor Thierry that stretched the score to 83-78 with only 25 seconds remaining.

A notable statistic from the game revealed that Thierry was instrumental on defense, tallying five of Ohio State’s 11 steals. This achievement marked the ninth consecutive game in which the Buckeyes recorded ten or more steals, a notable feat contributed to by the 20 turnovers committed by Iowa throughout the contest.

Looking ahead, Ohio State will play at Indiana this Thursday, while Iowa is set to host No. 3 UCLA on Sunday.