Michigan State wins, but lose standout Ward
The Spartans rolled to a 62-44 victory over Ohio State, but Nick Ward broke his left hand.
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State shut down Ohio State in the second half despite an injury to Nick Ward.
Now the Spartans may be without their standout big man for a while.
Ward left in the second half with a broken left hand, but No. 11 Michigan State still rolled to a 62-44 victory over Ohio State on Sunday. The Spartans held the Buckeyes to only 13 points in the second half. Coach Tom Izzo initially said Ward might have dislocated a finger, but the school announced that the 6-foot-9 junior has a hairline fracture.
Michigan State hopes Ward will be able to return before the end of the season. Next weekend, the Spartans play the first of two big games against rival Michigan.
Michigan State (21-5, 12-3) pulled into a first-place tie with Michigan atop the Big Ten. Ohio State (16-9, 6-8) led by six at halftime but shot 4 of 21 from the field the rest of the way.
“Defense not only travels — sometimes it works at home too,” Izzo said.
Kenny Goins had 10 points and 10 rebounds for Michigan State, which finished the game with a 20-2 run. Matt McQuaid scored 14 points for the Spartans and Cassius Winston added 13.
“It was all on defense,” McQuaid said. “We weren’t getting clean rebounds in the first half. We did a better job in the second of securing the ball and running.”