The No. 17/19 Ohio State women’s basketball team returns to the Schottenstein Center on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 15, hosting Fairleigh Dickinson at 1 p.m. in the annual Our Honor Defend Military Appreciation game, Ohio State Athletics announced. The game will be broadcast on B1G+ and AM 1460, and it is the first meeting between Ohio State and FDU in series history, according to Ohio State Athletics.
Ohio State comes in at 3-1 after suffering its first loss of the season on Thursday night, an 87-55 decision against No. 4 UConn. The Buckeyes stayed with the Huskies through a competitive first half before UConn’s shooting took over after the break, Ohio State Athletics reported. Jaloni Cambridge led Ohio State with 21 points, her third 20-point performance of the season, and Ava Watson added 13 points.
Two Buckeyes bring Big Ten-leading defensive numbers into Sunday’s game. After four steals against UConn, Kennedy Cambridge is tied for the Big Ten lead with 16 steals this season, an average of 4.0 per game, and Elsa Lemmilä’s three blocks against the Huskies left her tied for the conference lead with 11 blocks, 2.8 per game, Ohio State Athletics reported.
FDU arrives at 2-2 and on a two-game winning streak. The Knights opened the season with road losses at Baylor, 87-66, and at No. 6 Texas, 85-65, before earning home wins over East Stroudsburg, 82-46, and Manhattan, 58-55, Ohio State Athletics reported. Reese Downey leads FDU at 12.8 points per game, and Leah Crosby averages 10.5 points and a team-high 7.8 rebounds.
The Knights carry real expectations of their own. FDU was picked to win the Northeast Conference in the league’s preseason poll, and Crosby and Rebecca Osei-Owusu were each named to the Preseason All-NEC Team, Ohio State Athletics reported. Downey was named an NEC Prime Performer and Ally Kaminski was named NEC Rookie of the Week on Monday for their play in the opening week.
Sunday’s game is built around honoring service members. Veterans and active-duty military can receive 20 percent off at the Team Shop and concession stands by presenting a military badge or ID, and proceeds from Our Honor Defend gear help support military-connected scholarships for Ohio State students, Ohio State Athletics said. First responder vehicles will be on display outside the northwest corner of the Schottenstein Center for fans to see up close.
Ohio State students are admitted free to all home games with a BuckID, and single-game tickets are available through the Ohio State Athletics Ticket Office, according to Ohio State Athletics. After FDU, the Buckeyes stay home to host Ole Miss on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. on FS1, the next test in a six-game season-opening homestand at the Schottenstein Center.
Photo: JonRidinger, CC BY-SA 4.0