Surprise, surprise; the Buckeyes are back in the loser’s circle.
Ohio State dropped its sixth game in a row on Sunday, a new low under Chris Holtmann, and its third straight at home as Michigan State captured a 62-41 win at the Schottenstein Center. The Buckeyes hadn’t previously scored fewer than 60 points in a game this season, and their 41 points were the fewest they‘ve scored in any game since a 55-41 loss to Michigan State on Feb. 7, 1996.
| Team | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 14 | 27 | 41 |
| MICHIGAN STATE | 27 | 35 | 62 |
The Buckeyes turned in their lowest-scoring first half since that same game, putting up just 14 points on 19.2% shooting, and needed a dramatic turnaround in the second half to pull out a win over Tom Izzo and company. Ohio State rallied after halftime and cut the Michigan State lead to just five points with 11:24 to play, but couldn’t keep things going to complete the comeback.
With less than six minutes remaining, Michigan State had emphatically taken control back with a 16-point lead. The Spartans cruised to victory from there.
Joey Hauser led Michigan State with 22 points on the day, and Ohio State collectively shot under 30% from the field for the first time in 2022-23. Only one Buckeye (Sean McNeil) finished with more than nine points on the day.
First Half
Following a 1-for-14 performance from the 3-point line on Thursday, Ohio State hit more triples in the first four minutes against Michigan State than it did all game against Northwestern. But that momentum quickly stalled as the Buckeyes turned the ball over seven times in the first nine minutes and change.
Ohio State also missed five straight shots during that stretch, which allowed the Spartans to take their first lead of the afternoon with a 3-point make at the 11:23 mark. Michigan State then hit three shots in a row from 7:52 to 6:39 to take a seven-point lead into the under-eight-minute media timeout.
With back-to-back scores immediately after the timeout, Michigan State pieced together a 13-2 run to go up by double digits, 22-11, as the clock ticked under five minutes. The misfires just kept piling up on the other end, as Ohio State shot just 19.2% from the floor to finish the first half with 14 points.
Sean McNeil, Brice Sensabaugh and Bruce Thornton combined to shoot 2-for-16 in the half and Justice Sueing was the lone Buckeye to score more than four points in the period.
Michigan State used a 13-3 run in the final 7:09 of the half to take a 27-14 lead to halftime. The Spartans outrebounded Ohio State 23-17 and outscored the Buckeyes 14-2 in the paint.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | MICHIGAN STATE |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | POINTS | 62 |
| 17-60 (28.3%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 27-59 (45.8%) |
| 6-29 (20.7%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 7-22 (31.8%) |
| 1-2 (50%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 1-1 (100%) |
| 11 | TURNOVERS | 11 |
| 33 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 42 |
| 14 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 12 |
| 19 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 30 |
| 10 | BENCH POINTS | 14 |
| 2 | BLOCKS | 2 |
| 6 | STEALS | 4 |
| 5 | ASSISTS | 15 |
Second Half
Ohio State regained some rhythm at the start of the final frame. Zed Key and Bruce Thornton combined to score nine of the first 15 points scored on either side, and Ohio State cut the Michigan State lead to single digits by the 16:20 mark.
After missing all four of his 3-point attempts in the first half, McNeil knocked down two in a row at 14:08 and 12:30 to keep Ohio State within nine points of the Spartans. Sensabaugh kept the Buckeye momentum rolling with back-to-back jumpers that cut the Spartan lead to just 38-33 with 11:24 to play.
The Spartans responded swiftly, though, scoring 11 of the next 13 points from 10:47 to 7:03 to regain a commanding 14-point advantage. An A.J. Hoggard jumper thereafter made it a 10-0 run for the Spartans, and MSU built a 16-point lead that felt all but insurmountable with just 5:56 to go.
Michigan State continued to pour it on from there, taking a 22-point lead in the final three minutes while Ohio State struggled to mount much offense in the waning moments.
Game Notes
- Ohio State’s six-game losing streak is its longest since it lost 17 games in a row in the 1997-98 season.
- Brice Sensabaugh returned to the starting lineup for Ohio State after coming off the bench against Michigan and Northwestern in the previous two games.
- Roddy Gayle made the second start of his freshman season, joining Sensabaugh, Bruce Thornton, Justice Sueing and Zed Key in the starting five.
- Ohio State won its only matchup with Michigan State a season ago, blowing the Spartans out 80-69 on March 3, 2022.
- The Buckeyes won their previous two meetings with Michigan State at the Schottenstein Center, and nine of the previous 16 in the venue.
- Sunday’s contest was the 140th all-time meeting between the two programs.
