National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Ohio St. 68, Michigan St 60
When: 4:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 24, 2013
Where: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
Officials: # Bo Boroski, # Larry Scirotto, # Gene Steratore
Attendance: 18809

No. 18 Ohio State 68, No. 5 Michigan State 60: Aaron Craft scored a career-high 21 points as the host Buckeyes used an inspired second-half effort to send the Spartans to their second straight defeat.

Deshaun Thomas overcame a miserable 4-for-16 shooting performance and scored 12 of his 14 points after intermission for Ohio State (20-7, 10-5 Big Ten), which improved to 2-7 against ranked opponents this season.

Gary Harris scored 14 points to lead Michigan State (22-6, 11-4) while Adreian Payne posted his fifth double-double of the season with 12 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.

The Spartans shot 50 percent and limited Thomas – the Big Ten’s leading scorer – to 1-of-8 shooting and two points to build a 31-25 halftime advantage. The margin grew to nine twice early in the second half, but following a 3-pointer from Thomas and timeout from a frustrated coach Thad Matta, the Buckeyes hit nine of their next 11 shots to go on a 24-5 run and establish a 51-41 cushion midway through the second half.

Michigan State trimmed the deficit to 63-60 with 2:15 remaining with an 8-1 spurt, but two free throws by Evan Ravenel 58 seconds later gave Ohio State a bit of breathing room. Ravenel blocked Keith Appling’s layup attempt two possessions later and grabbed a rebound that led to a free throw from Craft and accounted for the final margin.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Ohio State set a school record by winning 10 Big Ten games for the eighth straight season. … Michigan State, which lost Tuesday at home against Indiana, is on its first two-game losing streak since the Hoosiers and Buckeyes dealt the Spartans consecutive losses last season. … Payne set his career high in rebounds for the second time in three games. He recorded 14 boards on Feb. 16 against Nebraska.
Top Game Performances
 
Michigan St   Ohio St.
Gary Harris 14 Scoring Aaron Craft 21
Gary Harris 5 Assists Aaron Craft 6
Adreian Payne 15 Rebounds Deshaun Thomas 7
Derrick Nix 6 Free Throws Made Aaron Craft 7
Travis Trice 2 Steals Shannon Scott 2
Adreian Payne 1 Blocks Evan Ravenel 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Michigan St 60 45.7 2-11 16-22 12 31 1 6 14
Ohio St. 68 44.0 5-18 19-23 8 25 1 4 9