Aaron Craft slashed through the lane for a career-high 21 points on Sunday – more than he had scored in the last three games combined – to lead No. 18 Ohio State to a 68-60 victory over fourth-ranked Michigan State.
The loss crippled the Spartans’ hopes of catching up with top-ranked Indiana, which now leads the Big Ten race by two full games with four remaining.
Deshaun Thomas added 12 of his 14 points in the second half for the Buckeyes (20-7, 10-5), who stand fifth in the conference. Evan Ravenel added 10 points and a crucial block in the final minute.
Freshman Gary Harris had 14 points and Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix each had 12 for the Spartans (22-6, 11-4), who have dropped two in a row after winning 11 of 12.
The victory improved Ohio State to 2-7 against ranked teams this season – both wins against Michigan’s Big Ten teams at Value City Arena. The Buckeyes are 18-0 against teams not in the Associated Press Top 25.
Michigan State, which lost to Indiana 72-68 on Tuesday night, still has games at No. 7 Michigan on Sunday and No. 19 Wisconsin at home on March 9 in a string of four in a row against ranked opponents. They close out the regular season on March 10 at home against Northwestern.
The Buckeyes improved to 7-3 against top-five teams in the 15 years of Value City Arena.
Michigan State led 36-27 after a Payne jumper from the left baseline early in the second half, all but quieting the crowd.
But the Buckeyes didn’t back down, scoring 18 of the next 23 points to forge a five-point lead.
With Lenzelle Smith Jr. and Thomas hitting 3s and Amir Williams, a Detroit native, dunking inside and then completing the three-point play, the Buckeyes scored points in transition, played tenacious defense and kept up on the boards to take the lead, 45-40.
After a Nix free throw temporarily ended the spell, Ohio State continued its onslaught.
Click here to read more of this story.
About Marion Online Sports
