Michigan State Basketball: Scoring Runs Propel Buckeyes Over Spartans
The Ohio State Buckeyes picked up their first Big Ten win of the season on Sunday, knocking off the Michigan State Spartans 72-67 in Columbus.
The Michigan State Spartans (12-7, 4-2) came up short on the road against the Ohio State Buckeyes (11-7, 1-4) on Sunday, losing 72-67 and dropping out of first place in the Big Ten.
The Spartans made their first six field goals of the game and jumped out to an early 15-7 advantage, but the Buckeyes responded with a 9-0 run to take the lead.
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Michigan State quickly reclaimed the lead, but an 11-0 run by Ohio State put them ahead while the Spartans went three-and-a-half minutes without a point. Michigan State shot the ball well enough to keep it close, including making six of 11 three-point attempts in the first half, but Ohio State out-rebounded them 19-13, which gave them five more field goal attempts and a 36-33 lead at the break.
The lead changed hands six times in the second half, but the Buckeyes launched another 10-0 run late in the half to take a 66-58 lead with 5:33 left in the second. The Spartans’ cut the lead to 70-67 with 20 seconds left, but a few missed opportunities down the stretch cost Michigan State and the Buckeyes held on for a 72-67 win.
Bridges leads turnover-plagued Spartans
Miles Bridges led Michigan State with 24 points—including shooting 4-of-5 from beyond the arc and 9-of-12 overall—and nine rebounds, but also committed six of the Spartans’ 17 turnovers. Nick Ward scored nine points.
The Spartans dominated the boards in the second half, out-rebounding the Buckeyes 19-9 after halftime, but Ohio State still took two more field goal attempts than Michigan State in the game and converted six more free throws.
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All five Ohio State starters scored in double-digits, led by JaQuan Lyle, who scored 22 points. Trevor Thompson led Ohio State with eight rebounds and also scored 10 points.