Ohio State Dominates Howard 75-54 in NCAA Tournament First Round

The third-seeded Buckeyes overwhelmed 14th-seeded Howard in their opening NCAA tournament matchup. Ohio State will face Notre Dame in the second round after the Fighting Irish defeated Fairfield.

The Cambridge sisters led a dominant performance as third-seeded Ohio State overwhelmed Howard 75-54 in their NCAA tournament opener in Columbus. Jaloni Cambridge paced the Buckeyes with 21 points while her sister Kennedy contributed 11 points and hauled down seven rebounds in the convincing victory.

Ohio State (27-7) received balanced scoring as Chance Gray, Ava Watson, and others chipped in 11 points apiece. Elsa Lemmila dominated the boards with 11 rebounds as the Buckeyes controlled both ends of the floor against the 14th-seeded Bison.

Howard’s impressive season came to a halt as their 14-game winning streak ended in the first round. The Bison (26-8) got solid efforts from Zennia Thomas, who tallied 15 points, and Ariella Henigan, who recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Buckeyes’ shooting efficiency proved decisive, converting 45 percent of their field goal attempts while limiting Howard to just 33.9 percent shooting. Most notably, the Bison failed to connect on any of their nine three-point attempts.

After trailing 14-12 late in the opening quarter, Ohio State seized control with a 12-0 scoring burst spanning the first and second periods. The Buckeyes extended their dominance with another 13-0 run before halftime, taking a commanding 43-19 lead into the locker room. Howard never mounted a serious threat in the final two quarters.

In the day’s other Fort Worth Region matchup, sixth-seeded Notre Dame eliminated 11th-seeded Fairfield 79-60. Hannah Hidalgo nearly achieved a quadruple-double, recording 23 points, nine rebounds, eight steals, and six assists to power the Fighting Irish advance.

Notre Dame (23-10) received additional offensive support from Iyana Moore’s 18 points and Cassandre Prosper’s 17 points and rebounds. The Irish shot 46.9 percent from the field and dominated the paint, outscoring Fairfield 44-22 in that area while holding a 43-30 rebounding edge.

Fairfield (28-5) saw their season end despite Meghan Andersen’s team-high 21 points. Jillian Huerter added 12 points and Janelle Brown contributed 10 off the bench, but the Stags struggled with 38.3 percent shooting and committed 19 turnovers that Notre Dame converted into 22 points.

The Fighting Irish controlled the contest from start to finish, leading for all but 15 seconds and building their advantage to as many as 23 points during the third quarter. Notre Dame will now face Ohio State in Monday’s second round.