Connor Lemons
Guest
Ohio State wilts after furious comeback, falls to No. 18 Michigan State 69-62
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
The Buckeyes fought hard, but a poor shooting night was too big to overcome.
Welcome to conference play, boys and girls.
With the snow swirling outside and the forecast calling for up to 10 inches of snow by the end of the weekend in Columbus, Tom Izzo’s 30th Michigan State team made their way into the Schottenstein Center for the only scheduled meeting between the two teams this season.
Michigan State was nails defensively, forcing Ohio State into double-digit turnovers, including three shot clock violations, as the visiting Spartans beating the Buckeyes for the first time in almost two years, 68-62.
The No. 18 Spartans (12-2, 3-0) entered Friday night’s game riding a six-game winning streak, including wins over Big Ten foes Nebraska and Minnesota. However, MSU was also riding a two-game losing streak against these Buckeyes, having lost their only meeting last season to Ohio State in East Lansing and also losing in the Big Ten Tournament two seasons ago.
Ohio State (9-5, 1-2) entered Friday night’s showdown mostly healthy, with Meechie Johnson being the only noteworthy absence. Johnson is away from the team as he deals with a personal matter with his family. Micah Parrish re-entered the starting lineup after missing one game with an ankle injury, alongside Bruce Thornton, John Mobley, Devin Royal, and Sean Stewart.
Izzo went with a starting five of Tre Holloman, Jaden Akins, Jeremy Fears, Jaxon Kohler, and Szymon Zapala.
Kohler scored Michigan State’s first six points of the game, nearly matching his season average of 8.1 just in the first few minutes. At 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, he had nearly 30 pounds on Royal, who was tasked with guarding him early on. The score at the very first media timeout was 6-5 in favor of the Spartans.
Michigan State kept it going below the basket. Over the next several minutes it was the seven-foot-tall Longwood transfer Zapala making it happen, scoring seven points in just over two minutes to help give the Spartans a 27-21 lead with just under seven minutes remaining in the first half. On the season, Kohler and Zapala were averaging a combined 13.5 points per game entering Friday night’s game — they combined for 15 in the first half alone against the Buckeyes.
Ohio State was tied up in knots over the final several minutes of the half, finishing the opening frame with nine turnovers and trailing 37-29. Thornton was held to two points on 1-of-4 shooting in the first half after scoring 30+ in each of his last two games. Zapala had nine points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting in the first half.
The seven-footer continued to torment Ohio State in the second half, scoring three more baskets in the first 1:44 after the break to give Michigan State a 43-29 lead that forced Jake Diebler to use a timeout. He blew past his previous season-high of 10, getting to 15 with over 18 minutes left in the game.
Ohio State struggled to score below the basket for much of this game, with shot-blocking threats like Booker and Carr hovering around. They were also having one of their worst games from three-point range this season. Michigan State still led 47-43 at the under-12 timeout.
Michigan State went on an offensive lull that lasted over five minutes, allowing the Buckeyes to flip the four-point deficit to a one-point lead, 50-49, by the under-eight timeout with 7:59 remaining. Stewart was a catalyst for the run even when he wasn’t scoring, forcing multiple turnovers including two steals himself.
A Xavier Booker basket and-one put Michigan State back up 52-50, and Holloman followed it up with his first three-pointer of the game moments later to put the Spartans up five with seven minutes remaining.
Ohio State’s 15-2 run late in this one made it interesting, but the Spartans were able to regroup, hit their free throws down the stretch, and outlast the Buckeyes Friday night, 69-62.
If you weren’t around to catch Ohio State’s second B1G loss of the season Friday night, here are a few key moments and plays that proved crucial as the Buckeyes came up short against the Spartans:
Junior forward Jaxon Kohler put Royal in a locker early in this game, scoring six points over the first 2:53 while the sophomore was guarding him. Kohler has only taken about six shots per game this season, but took four shots (and hit three of them) before the first timeout of the game. It was pretty clear that Royal did not have the muscle to guard Kohler early in this game.
Trailing Michigan State 9-5 six minutes into the game, the Buckeyes ripped off an 8-0 run in just over 90 seconds, capped off by a bananas defensive play by Royal.
With Coen Carr dribbling the ball at the top of the key, Royal reached in and poked the ball away from the sophomore from California. The ball was loose and both guys dove for it, but Royal came up with it just in front of the scorer’s table.
He looked up and hit Thornton with a chest pass on the run from his seat, and he scored in transition to make it 13-9 Ohio State with just over 12 minutes remaining in the game.
After Xavier Booker knocked down a long two-pointer to put MSU up 27-21 with 7:21 left in the first half, Stewart went for a layup at the other end and was promptly stuffed at the rim by Booker.
Ques Glover grabbed the loose ball and found Colin White along the baseline with the shot clock dwindling, but Booker was able to turn around and swat his shot away, too. Ohio State got multiple good looks near the basket but was turned away both times.
After Ohio State cut the deficit to 31-29 with 2:28 left in the first half, they turned the ball over four times and only took one shot until halftime.
In the meantime, Michigan State scored three times to make it 37-29 at halftime, capped off by a two-handed slam by Zapala.
The seven-footer continued his career game (at least, in his Michigan State career) as soon as the second half started, scoring three more times in the first two minutes of the second half to give Michigan State a 43-29 lead with just over 18 minutes remaining. That got him to 15 points with nearly a whole half of basketball still to play.
Things had gotten out of hand for Ohio State momentarily, as the Spartans had opened up a 14-point lead at the beginning of the second half. But starting at the 13:09 mark the Buckeyes went on an 8-0 run, capped off by Stewart's steal from Fidler, followed by a sprint to the other end and a two-handed slam, to make it 47-43 with 11:58 left in the game.
Even with the shooting woes, Ohio State started to turn defense into offense in the second half and build off the energy of the crowd as the deficit got slimmer.
With Michigan State up 66-62 and 39 seconds remaining, Akins knocked down two free throws to give the Spartans a 68-62 lead.
The Buckeyes (9-5, 1-2) don’t have time to dwell on Friday night’s loss, as they’ll fly out to the twin cities Monday to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-6, 0-2) at the Barn. Minnesota has lost both of its Big Ten games by double-digits — including an 18-point loss to MSU at home.
The Buckeyes’ game with Minnesota will tip off at 9 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on FS1.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
The Buckeyes fought hard, but a poor shooting night was too big to overcome.
Welcome to conference play, boys and girls.
With the snow swirling outside and the forecast calling for up to 10 inches of snow by the end of the weekend in Columbus, Tom Izzo’s 30th Michigan State team made their way into the Schottenstein Center for the only scheduled meeting between the two teams this season.
Michigan State was nails defensively, forcing Ohio State into double-digit turnovers, including three shot clock violations, as the visiting Spartans beating the Buckeyes for the first time in almost two years, 68-62.
The No. 18 Spartans (12-2, 3-0) entered Friday night’s game riding a six-game winning streak, including wins over Big Ten foes Nebraska and Minnesota. However, MSU was also riding a two-game losing streak against these Buckeyes, having lost their only meeting last season to Ohio State in East Lansing and also losing in the Big Ten Tournament two seasons ago.
Ohio State (9-5, 1-2) entered Friday night’s showdown mostly healthy, with Meechie Johnson being the only noteworthy absence. Johnson is away from the team as he deals with a personal matter with his family. Micah Parrish re-entered the starting lineup after missing one game with an ankle injury, alongside Bruce Thornton, John Mobley, Devin Royal, and Sean Stewart.
Izzo went with a starting five of Tre Holloman, Jaden Akins, Jeremy Fears, Jaxon Kohler, and Szymon Zapala.
Kohler scored Michigan State’s first six points of the game, nearly matching his season average of 8.1 just in the first few minutes. At 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, he had nearly 30 pounds on Royal, who was tasked with guarding him early on. The score at the very first media timeout was 6-5 in favor of the Spartans.
Michigan State kept it going below the basket. Over the next several minutes it was the seven-foot-tall Longwood transfer Zapala making it happen, scoring seven points in just over two minutes to help give the Spartans a 27-21 lead with just under seven minutes remaining in the first half. On the season, Kohler and Zapala were averaging a combined 13.5 points per game entering Friday night’s game — they combined for 15 in the first half alone against the Buckeyes.
Ohio State was tied up in knots over the final several minutes of the half, finishing the opening frame with nine turnovers and trailing 37-29. Thornton was held to two points on 1-of-4 shooting in the first half after scoring 30+ in each of his last two games. Zapala had nine points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting in the first half.
The seven-footer continued to torment Ohio State in the second half, scoring three more baskets in the first 1:44 after the break to give Michigan State a 43-29 lead that forced Jake Diebler to use a timeout. He blew past his previous season-high of 10, getting to 15 with over 18 minutes left in the game.
Ohio State struggled to score below the basket for much of this game, with shot-blocking threats like Booker and Carr hovering around. They were also having one of their worst games from three-point range this season. Michigan State still led 47-43 at the under-12 timeout.
Michigan State went on an offensive lull that lasted over five minutes, allowing the Buckeyes to flip the four-point deficit to a one-point lead, 50-49, by the under-eight timeout with 7:59 remaining. Stewart was a catalyst for the run even when he wasn’t scoring, forcing multiple turnovers including two steals himself.
A Xavier Booker basket and-one put Michigan State back up 52-50, and Holloman followed it up with his first three-pointer of the game moments later to put the Spartans up five with seven minutes remaining.
Ohio State’s 15-2 run late in this one made it interesting, but the Spartans were able to regroup, hit their free throws down the stretch, and outlast the Buckeyes Friday night, 69-62.
If you weren’t around to catch Ohio State’s second B1G loss of the season Friday night, here are a few key moments and plays that proved crucial as the Buckeyes came up short against the Spartans:
Kohler can’t be stopped
Junior forward Jaxon Kohler put Royal in a locker early in this game, scoring six points over the first 2:53 while the sophomore was guarding him. Kohler has only taken about six shots per game this season, but took four shots (and hit three of them) before the first timeout of the game. It was pretty clear that Royal did not have the muscle to guard Kohler early in this game.
Royal’s diving play caps off an 8-0 Buckeye run
Buckeyes are bringing the pressureWhat a sequence for @OhioStateHoops pic.twitter.com/pYRLc2zUcj
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 4, 2025
Trailing Michigan State 9-5 six minutes into the game, the Buckeyes ripped off an 8-0 run in just over 90 seconds, capped off by a bananas defensive play by Royal.
With Coen Carr dribbling the ball at the top of the key, Royal reached in and poked the ball away from the sophomore from California. The ball was loose and both guys dove for it, but Royal came up with it just in front of the scorer’s table.
He looked up and hit Thornton with a chest pass on the run from his seat, and he scored in transition to make it 13-9 Ohio State with just over 12 minutes remaining in the game.
Booker blocks two shots in five seconds
After Xavier Booker knocked down a long two-pointer to put MSU up 27-21 with 7:21 left in the first half, Stewart went for a layup at the other end and was promptly stuffed at the rim by Booker.
Ques Glover grabbed the loose ball and found Colin White along the baseline with the shot clock dwindling, but Booker was able to turn around and swat his shot away, too. Ohio State got multiple good looks near the basket but was turned away both times.
Spartans close first half on 6-0 run
After Ohio State cut the deficit to 31-29 with 2:28 left in the first half, they turned the ball over four times and only took one shot until halftime.
In the meantime, Michigan State scored three times to make it 37-29 at halftime, capped off by a two-handed slam by Zapala.
Zapala sets a season-high with.....a ton of time to go
The seven-footer continued his career game (at least, in his Michigan State career) as soon as the second half started, scoring three more times in the first two minutes of the second half to give Michigan State a 43-29 lead with just over 18 minutes remaining. That got him to 15 points with nearly a whole half of basketball still to play.
Stewart’s steal and slam
Things had gotten out of hand for Ohio State momentarily, as the Spartans had opened up a 14-point lead at the beginning of the second half. But starting at the 13:09 mark the Buckeyes went on an 8-0 run, capped off by Stewart's steal from Fidler, followed by a sprint to the other end and a two-handed slam, to make it 47-43 with 11:58 left in the game.
Even with the shooting woes, Ohio State started to turn defense into offense in the second half and build off the energy of the crowd as the deficit got slimmer.
Akins knocks down both free throws to ice it
With Michigan State up 66-62 and 39 seconds remaining, Akins knocked down two free throws to give the Spartans a 68-62 lead.
What’s next?
The Buckeyes (9-5, 1-2) don’t have time to dwell on Friday night’s loss, as they’ll fly out to the twin cities Monday to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-6, 0-2) at the Barn. Minnesota has lost both of its Big Ten games by double-digits — including an 18-point loss to MSU at home.
The Buckeyes’ game with Minnesota will tip off at 9 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on FS1.
Continue reading...