EAST LANSING, Mich. – Ohio State held a six-point lead at halftime of its game against Michigan State on Sunday, but that wasn't enough of an edge to pull off an upset.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE (16-9) | 31 | 13 | 44 |
| MICHIGAN STATE (21-5) | 25 | 37 | 62 |
The Spartans took advantage of the Buckeyes' inability to score for prolonged stretches and improved their first-half shooting percentage of 31 to 46.2 percent in the second half.
The game was tied 42-42 with just 7:40 to play after a 3-pointer by C.J. Jackson, but the Spartans on a 10-0 run after that to take a double-digit lead when Thomas Kithier hit a shot with 4:36 remaining, and finished the game on a 20-2 run to defeat Ohio State, 62-44, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
While the Spartans recovered from their early game shooting woes, the Buckeyes never managed to find an offensive rhythm. They scored just 13 points in the second half. They hit just 32.7 percent of their shots from the field and hit 4-of-14 3-point attempts.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | MICHIGAN STATE |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | POINTS | 62 |
| 18-56 (32.1%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 21-55 (38.2%) |
| 4-15 (26.7%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 10-26 (38.5%) |
| 4-9 (44.4%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 10-12 (83.3%) |
| 15 | TURNOVERS | 10 |
| 39 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 37 |
| 12 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 7 |
| 27 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 30 |
| 15 | BENCH POINTS | 16 |
| 2 | BLOCKS | 8 |
| 7 | STEALS | 7 |
| 9 | ASSISTS | 17 |
Ohio State, which dropped to 16-9 overall and 6-8 in the Big Ten, had just four turnovers in the first half, but committed 11 turnovers in the second half. Michigan State had 16 points off turnovers compared to only five from the Buckeyes.
Matt McQuaid led the Spartans with 14 points, and Cassius Winston and Kenny Goins also finished in double figures.
Kaleb Wesson was the only Ohio State player to have more than eight points, scoring 12.
Michigan State's victory wrapped up the team's regular-season sweep of the Buckeyes. The Spartans beat Ohio State, 86-77, on Jan. 5 at the Schottenstein Center.
Next up: Ohio State head back home to take on Northwestern at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Schottenstein Center. The game will be broadcasted on Big Ten Network.
Game Notes
- A trio of football recruits from Cincinnati – five-star offensive tackle and Ohio State commit Paris Johnson Jr., along with Darrion Henry and Jaheim Thomas – were in attendance. Michigan State football head coach Mark Dantonio sat in the row behind them.
- In the first half, the Breslin Center crowd chanted as if the shot clock was going down to one when the Buckeyes had five seconds remaining. C.J. Jackson fired up a 3-pointer as if the buzzer was about to sound, and he drilled it.
- Neither Ohio State nor Michigan State had a single turnover in the first 10 minutes of the game. Jackson committed the first turnover 10:06 into the game.
- Ohio State has been prone to scoring ruts this season and went 4:22 in the first half without a point, during which Michigan State went on an 8-0 run.
- Kyle Young finished a pair of alley oops.
- The Buckeyes are 1-2 against the Spartans in Chris Holtmann's tenure.
