OSU’S offense goes missing again in sixth straight loss
Buckeyes suffer most lopsided defeat of the season at home.
COLUMBUS — Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton drew a Michigan State foul. With the Buckeyes’ possession extended, he attempted a 3-pointer that didn’t fall. The rebound went out of bounds, giving the Buckeyes another try.
That led to a Justice Sueing drive but he, too, was fouled. Ohio State remained in possession of the ball. But rather than pull any closer, the possession finally came to an end when Michigan State’s Tyson Walker stole it from freshman Roddy Gayle, pushed it in transition and scored.
Walker’s bucket pushed the Spartans ahead 53-37 with 3:55 to play and was typical of the offensive slog that was Super Bowl Sunday for the Buckeyes. A second half that featured some better ball movement and a few more made buckets wasn’t nearly enough to beat a Michigan State team trying to stay on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble.
For a sixth straight time and 11th time in 12 games, Ohio State lost. The final was Michigan State 62, Ohio State 41.
Sean Mcneil was the only Buckeye in double figures, and he got to 10 points on the final basket of the game as the Spartans closed on a 21-6 run. It is the most lopsided loss of the season for the Buckeyes, who previously lost by 16 at Indiana.
“Their defense was stifling today,” Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said. “Certainly our offense can be blamed for sure, but give them credit. Our offensive frustration was significant in the first half and it dug us too big a hole to dig out of.”
Ohio State (11-14, 3-11 Big Ten) endured a brutal-shooting first half but threatened to make it interesting near the midpoint of the second half. Roddy Gayle’s drive and kick to Sean Mcneil for a corner 3 pulled Ohio State within 35-26 with 14:08 to play and marked his team’s fifth field goal after halftime, equaling its first-half total.
Michigan State (16-9, 8-6) answered with a Malik Hall 3 two possessions later, but when
Mcneil hit another 3 it started a 7-0 run for the Buckeyes that got them within 38-33 with 11:24 left. Then Bruce Thornton came up with a steal that gave OSU a chance to get closer only to see Brice Sensabaugh’s attempt near the hoop rim out. Zed Key had a put-back, and while it looked like one defender either grabbed the rim or put his hand through it, no call was made.
That would’ve made it a one-possession game, but instead, Michigan State’s Joey Hauser made a 3-pointer to put Ohio State down eight. It stemmed the tide and Michigan State would extend its advantage by scoring on six of its next seven possessions to open a 51-35 lead, its biggest of the afternoon to that point, with 5:56 to play.
From that point, the final outcome was assured.
The six-game losing streak is Ohio State’s longest since it dropped 17 straight during the 1997-98 season.
“Losing is very frustrating,” Thornton, who had 9 points, five rebounds and two assists with one turnover, said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re on the court or in life, losing in general is not a good feeling at all. I still feel like we have the team and the confidence in each other to put it all together. I feel like we still have time.”
Ohio State’s offense has struggled mightily during the last month and a half, but it’s been decades since the Buckeyes struggled through a half the way they did Sunday afternoon. At no point did Ohio State score on consecutive first-half possessions, and when they weren’t turning the ball over, the Buckeyes were likely attempting a 3-pointer that clanged off the rim.
The only saving grace was that Michigan State, too, was struggling to find an offensive rhythm – for a while, at least. When Brice Sensabaugh split two first-half free throws, Felix Okpara pulled down a rebound and Sean Mcneil ended the possession with a driving layup, it ended a 6:19 scoring drought for Ohio State and tied the game at 9 with 8:40 to play before the break.
But rather than generate any momentum for the home team, it was the start of a Michigan State run. Joey Hauser answered with a wide-open 3 to put the Spartans back on top, and they would score on six straight possessions while Ohio State would muster just a leaning bucket from Justice Sueing as the shot clock buzzed.
It was that 13-2 run in the span of 3:44 which gave Michigan State a 22-11 lead, and after the Sueing bucket with 7:19 remaining the Buckeyes would not make another field goal until Roddy Gayle’s 3-pointer from the right corner with five seconds left in the half. That sent Ohio State into the break trailing 27-14 and having missed 10 of its last 11 shots.
“Today was a rock fight in the first half,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “We weren’t shooting good. They weren’t shooting good.”
The 14 points were the fewest scored in a half by an Ohio State team since the Buckeyes had nine against Michigan State on Feb. 7, 1996 — a game the Spartans won, 55-41. Ohio State missed 21 of 26 first-half shots and nearly had twice as many turnovers (eight) as made field goals (five). Ohio State attempted 15 of its 26 shots from 3-point range and made three of them, one game removed from a 1-for-14 effort from deep in Thursday’s 69-63 home loss to Northwestern.
Despite the eight first-half turnovers, Ohio State only finished with 11.
That loss to Michigan State 27 years ago was also the last time Ohio State was held to 41 points or fewer.