chicago – no one expected michigan state basketballKey’s hot-shooting, high-scoring finish to lead the regular season. Especially not Tom Izzo.
And it evaporated. Like Ohio State – in its third game in three days at the United Center – looked almost every look.
And the Buckeyes kept at it. And going And the Spartans are going home early.
Fueled by adrenaline and needing to win this or a disappointing season is over, 13th-seeded Ohio State made 10 3-pointers while fourth-seeded MSU struggled to find any flow in a 68-58 loss on Friday afternoon. fought for.
The Spartans (19-12), who scored 80 points in four straight games to close the regular season, shot only 3 of 16 from 3-point range. They struggled moving the ball with only 11 assists, and now they will have to wait until Sunday evening to learn their NCAA tournament destination and seed.
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The Buckeyes (16-18) — who won without star freshman Bryce Sensbaugh (knee) — advance to play top-seeded and No. 3-ranked Purdue on Saturday afternoon at the United Center (CBS). Bruce Thornton scored 21 points and Rodney Gale Jr. scored 15 points, while senior Justice Sueing scored 14.
OSU shot 52.6% from deep after making 7 of 15 3-pointers in the second half of MSU’s 84-78 home win in East Lansing on Saturday to sweep the regular-season series.
Four Spartans reached double figures, led by Joey Hauser’s 15 points and six rebounds. AJ Hoggard, Tyson Walker and Jaden Akins each scored 10 as MSU finished 38.2% from the field overall.
return to vanity
The Spartans carried their hot shooting from last month into the first five minutes on Friday, starting 4 of 6 in the first 4:17 that included a 7-0 run. All those buckets came after the help.
Then the ball stopped moving and his shots stopped falling.
MSU took 5 for 23 in the last 15 minutes. Hauser’s 3-pointer at 16:35 was their only one of the half, with the Spartans losing their last seven to go 1-for-9 in the half as Hauser hit one at the buzzer. The Spartans only had two assists after the start of sharing.
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Meanwhile, the Buckeyes couldn’t miss. Suing drilled a pair of 3-pointers and Sean McNeil as OSU took control on a 15–6 spurt at the midway point of the half. This was followed by another 13–4 run that pushed the Buckeyes back to double digits, and Gale’s 3-pointer with 2:29 left made it 11, before Walker’s layup cut MSU’s halftime deficit to 33–24. reduced to
It was reminiscent of the Spartans’ first-half struggles on February 28 at Nebraska, where they scored 27.8 in the first half and took a quick lead in the second half. On Friday, MSU made just 31% overall to OSU’s 51.9% shooting. Hauser had seven points at the half, four of them at the free-throw line, while Walker and Maddie Sissoko each had six points. Hoggard and Akins were a combined 1-for-9.
The Buckeyes hit 5 of 9 3-pointers in the opening half. Thornton and Suing each had eight and combined for five of OSU’s nine assists.
recovery is not enough
After the half the shots began to fall for MSU, first a Hauser jumper in the paint and then a Walker 3-pointer. The confidence appeared to be revived with an Akins jumper and Hoggard driving layup pulling the Spartans back within 36–34 with less than 4 ½ minutes remaining in the final period.
But the Buckeyes responded, opening the MSU salvo with a 10–2 counter run to push the lead back into double digits. And Ohio State hit big 3s when they needed them, Gale and Suing each fired a pair from deep as the Buckeyes made 5 of 10 from behind the arc in the final period.
The Spartans made one final surge to within six with 4:54 to play on Hoggard’s driving layup. But Gayle’s 3-pointer with 3:14 to play was part of a knockout run that pushed it to 14 points in the final few minutes.
Contact Chris Solari: [email protected], follow him on twitter @chrissolari,
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This article was originally published on the Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball stunned by Ohio State in Big Ten tournament
