Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
NASSAU, Bahamas — West Virginia and Ohio State traded punches for a wild 40 minutes on Wednesday before the Buckeyes escaped with an 83–81 win over the No. 21 Mountaineers to capture the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship.
Jaloni Cambridge scored 22 points and Elsa Lemmilä hit the go-ahead jumper with 24.9 seconds left as the Buckeyes (5–1) survived heavy foul trouble and a late Mountaineers rally. OSU trailed 80–79 when it used its final timeout to set up the decisive play, with Ava Watson drawing two defenders before finding Lemmilä in the lane for the jumper.
The Mountaineers (6–1) had two chances on the next trip after an offensive rebound but couldn’t convert. The Buckeyes secured the ball, and Watson hit two free throws with three seconds remaining to put OSU up by three.
WVU got one last break when Sydney Shaw was fouled on a corner 3 with 0.6 seconds left. After a lengthy review, Shaw missed the first free throw, made the second and OSU grabbed the rebound on the third to close it out.
Gia Cooke led the Mountaineers with 24 points, while Kierra Wheeler added 19 points and 14 rebounds. WVU finished 23-of-32 at the line and outrebounded OSU 38–28 but committed 25 turnovers.
The Buckeyes dug out of a rough start after the Mountaineers’ pressure forced turnovers on OSU’s first two possessions. WVU opened the game on a 13–2 run before the Buckeyes settled behind reserve guard Bryn Martin, who helped trim the deficit to 17–15 after a quarter.
OSU claimed its first lead early in the second with an up-tempo burst led by Cambridge, Martin, Chance Gray and Lemmilä. The Mountaineers went cold late, and the Buckeyes ended the half on a 12–5 run to take a 33–31 edge into the locker room.
WVU countered in the third behind Cooke’s relentless drives and trips to the line. The Mountaineers attempted 12 free throws in the period as OSU piled up 11 fouls. By the start of the fourth, Lemmilä, Kitts and Martin all had four fouls for the Buckeyes.
Still, OSU punched back. Gray opened the fourth with consecutive 3-pointers, and a nine-point run put the Buckeyes back in front before momentum swung again. The Mountaineers regained control as Jaloni Cambridge fouled out with 4:34 remaining, followed by Kennedy Cambridge with 3:43 left.
WVU pushed the lead to eight, but the Buckeyes stayed alive. Martin scored five straight to pull OSU within a possession, and free throws from Watson and Kitts tied the score at 79–79. Martin fouled out moments later, and the Mountaineers briefly jumped back ahead.
OSU responded out of a timeout when Watson fed Lemmilä for the go-ahead jumper, giving the Buckeyes an 81–80 lead with 24.9 seconds to play. WVU missed on the next trip, and after a block by Kitts, T’Yana Todd sank two free throws to extend OSU’s lead to 83–80.
The Mountaineers’ final chance came when Shaw was fouled on a deep attempt, but she converted only one of three, and Lemmilä pulled down the rebound to secure the Buckeyes’ win.
Martin finished with 16 points for OSU, while Gray added 15.
The Buckeyes return home to face Niagara on Sunday. The Mountaineers continue nonconference play later this week.
Photo Credit: WVU Athletics
