Thanks to 11 second-half turnovers and anemic shooting over the game’s final 20 minutes, what was a 6-point halftime lead for Ohio State (16-9, 6-8) became an eventual 62-44 win for No. 11 Michigan State (21-5, 12-3) in East Lansing.
The Buckeyes shot just 4-of-21 (19.0%) from the field in the second half and 1-of-9 (11.1%) from three-point range.
After outrebounding MSU 25-17 in the first half, the Buckeyes collapsed in the second half on the boards as well and were outrebounded 20-14 by the Spartans.
What was seen as a battle of the big men between Michigan State’s Nick Ward and Ohio State’s Kaleb Wesson never really materialized. Ward scored nine points and grabbed six points, but he had to leave the game late with a hand injury. Wesson led the Buckeyes with 12 points and nine rebounds, committing just one foul.
Wesson was the only Buckeye scorer in double figures, but not for lack of trying. Freshman guard Luther Muhammad shot 1-of-9 from the field, senior point guard CJ Jackson was 3-of-9, junior forward Andre Wesson was 2-of-10, and freshman guard Duane Washington was 1-of-7.
Ward and Wesson may have opened the game by trading the first two baskets, but plenty of others got involved soon after.
Leading 4-2 early on, Jackson hit a three-pointer for the Buckeyes following an offensive rebound, but Ward answered right back with a three-point conversion of his own. Two buckets by Wesson and a three from Washington made it 14-5 with 12:40 to play in the first half.
Fifty-six seconds later, the lead was cut to four points thanks to a jumper from MSU forward Xavier Tillman and a three from wing Matt McQuaid on a dish from point guard Cassius Winston.
Six minutes later, McQuaid dropped in another three to give the Spartans a 20-18 lead, which was their first lead since it was 2-0. Two layups by the Wesson brothers and a jumper from Muhammad put the Buckeyes back up by four with 4:03 to play in the half.
A three from Winston and a pair of free throws for Ward made it 25-24, but the Buckeyes closed out the half on a 7-0 run to make it 31-25 at the intermission.
The Spartans deconstructed the lead immediately to start the half thanks to a three and a layup from Kenny Goins. McQuaid gave MSU their first lead of the second half with a three-pointer to make it 39-38 with 11:58 remaining.
With 7:40 to play, the game was tied at 42-42. Michigan State would go on a 10-0 run to put the Buckeyes on the deck for good.
Ohio State turned the ball over three times during the run to help with the collapse.
The Spartans finished the game on a 20-2 run.
The Star
N/A
Quick Hits
+ While Luther Muhammad showed aggression on the day, for all of his dribbling and attacking, he rarely got a good look, and when he did, he was whistled for pushing off.
+ CJ Jackson (+6) and Kyle Young (+1) were the only two Buckeyes on the plus side.
+ The Buckeyes made 8-of-19 layup attempts. Their inability to finish close in and their difficulty with converting fast-breaks, made it entirely too difficult for this OSU offense to keep up.
Box Score
