Cambridge, Ohio State face Hidalgo, Notre Dame with Sweet 16 at stake

COLUMBUS — Jaloni Cambridge and Hannah Hidalgo were teammates on the USA Basketball Under-17 national team in 2022. Monday, they will be on opposing sidelines trying to get their teams into the Sweet 16 of the women's NCAA Tournament.Cambridge and third-seeded Ohio State (27-7) face Hidalgo and sixth-seeded Notre Dame (23-10) in a matchup featuring both guards, who were AP All-America second-team selections."Two great guards are going against each other, so I'm excited to play," said Cambridge before the Buckeyes practiced on Sunday.Hidalgo — a two-time ACC Player of the Year — leads Division I in steals with 181 and is third in scoring at 25.2 points per game.Cambridge led the Big Ten in scoring and is eighth in Division I (22.7 ppg). She is the fifth player in Ohio State history with at least 700 points in a season.Hidalgo dominated on both ends of the court of Saturday's 79-60 victory over Fairfield with 23 points, nine rebounds, eight steals and six assists.The eight steals by the junior were a single-game NCAA Tournament school record, surpassing the previous mark of seven which was shared by Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey."She can do everything, especially on the defensive end. She's a two-way player, so I really look up to her and how she carries herself," Cambridge said. "We have to take care of the ball and make sure we're consistent on the offensive end."Cambridge, a sophomore, creates plenty of matchup problems due to her quickness and open-floor drives to the basket. The sophomore led the way with 21 points in Saturday's 75-54 win over Howard.Hidalgo said trying to go toe to toe with Cambridge, especially down the open floor, was a challenge when they were teammates four years ago."I just remember her speed. She's a great guard, dynamic guard. Knows how to get her teammates involved," Hidalgo said. "I thought I was the fastest one in the camp and she beat me by a mile."