NEWARK, N.J. (Interstat) — In a clash of national contenders decided in the final second, Ohio State edged Texas Christian 71-69 in a nonconference women’s basketball thriller Monday afternoon at a neutral-site Fleisher Athletic Center.

The Buckeyes, who trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half, completed a dramatic comeback by scoring the game’s final four points in the last 16 seconds, sealing the victory with a pair of Jaloni Cambridge free throws with 0.3 seconds remaining.

The game’s decisive sequence began with Ohio State clinging to a 70-69 lead. Texas Christian, after a timeout with 16 seconds left, inbounded the ball to Donovyn Hunter near midcourt. As Hunter turned to initiate the offense, Ohio State’s 6-foot-6 center Elsa Lemmilä, who had drifted to the perimeter, reached in and cleanly stripped the ball. Lemmilä quickly passed to Cambridge, who was immediately fouled by Veronica Sheffey with three-tenths of a second on the clock.

Cambridge, an 83% free-throw shooter entering the game, calmly sank the first shot. After a Texas Christian timeout intended to ice her, she swished the second to provide the final margin. The Lady Frogs’ desperation full-court heave was not close as the buzzer sounded.

The stunning finish capped a remarkable turnaround. Texas Christian dominated the first quarter, racing to an 18-8 lead behind the play of Olivia Miles. The senior guard from nearby Phillipsburg, New Jersey, was brilliant throughout, finishing with a game-high 24 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Her early three-pointer set the tone, and the Lady Frogs’ defense forced eight Ohio State turnovers in the opening period.

Ohio State’s offense awoke in the second quarter, erupting for 25 points. Chance Gray caught fire from deep, hitting three three-pointers in the period, and the Buckeyes began to capitalize on Texas Christian’s mistakes. The Lady Frogs committed 19 turnovers in the game, leading to 18 crucial points for Ohio State. By halftime, the Buckeyes had trimmed the deficit to 36-33.

The third quarter was a defensive struggle, with Texas Christian taking a 49-47 lead into the final frame. The fourth quarter featured seven lead changes and three ties. With the score knotted at 65, Ohio State’s Kennedy Cambridge hit a corner three-pointer off an assist from her sister, Jaloni, to put the Buckeyes ahead 68-65 with 3:10 remaining.

Texas Christian responded. Miles drove for a layup, and after a defensive stop, Clara Silva scored on a putback to give the Lady Frogs a 69-68 lead with 2:33 left. The teams then traded empty possessions and turnovers under intense defensive pressure. With 1:10 left, Ohio State’ Elsa Lemmilä was called for an offensive foul, giving Texas Christian the ball and a one-point lead.

The Lady Frogs ran the clock down to 25 seconds before Miles was fouled. She missed the front end of a one-and-one, but Silva secured the offensive rebound. Texas Christian called timeout with 16 seconds left, setting up the fateful final possession that ended with Lemmilä’s steal.

Lemmilä, a junior from Espoo, Finland, was the anchor for Ohio State, delivering a stat line of 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists and six blocks. Her defensive presence altered countless shots inside, and her game-sealing steal was the culmination of a dominant two-way performance. Jaloni Cambridge added 18 points, six rebounds and eight assists, while Chance Gray led the Buckeyes with 22 points, including 6-of-12 shooting from three-point range.

For Texas Christian, Silva, a 6-foot-7 freshman from Portugal, had 12 points and eight rebounds. Taylor Bigby added 14 points, all in the first three quarters. The Lady Frogs shot 40.3% from the field and a stellar 91.7% from the free-throw line, but were ultimately undone by the turnover disparity and Ohio State’s 9-of-21 shooting from beyond the arc.

The game, played before an energetic crowd of 6,742, had the atmosphere of an NCAA Tournament regional final. Both teams entered with identical 17-2 records, and the result is likely to cause significant movement in next week’s AP Top 25.

Ohio State improved to 18-2 and will host Indiana on Thursday in a return to Big Ten play. Texas Christian fell to 18-2 and will look to rebound on the road at UCF on Saturday.