Big Ten Rivalry, In Progress: No. 10 Michigan State Hosts No. 13 Ohio State

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East Lansing, MI (Sports Network) - Evan Turner scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the second half, and also finished with 10 rebounds and six assists, as ninth-ranked Ohio State held off No. 11 Michigan State, 74-67, in a matchup of elite Big Ten teams at the Breslin Center.

William Buford contributed 17 points and 10 boards, while David Lighty went for 13 points and nine rebounds for Ohio State (21-7, 11-4 Big Ten), which recovered from a 60-57 loss to Purdue on Wednesday. Jon Diebler hit four three-pointers and finished with 12 points for the Buckeyes, who have won seven of eight overall.

Durrell Summers scored a team-best 16 points for Michigan State (21-7, 11-4), which had won two straight following a three-game slide. Chris Allen and Draymond Green each had 11 points in defeat. Raymar Morgan had a game-high 14 rebounds to go along with nine points for the Spartans, who lost for only the second time in 15 games at the Breslin Center this season.

Michigan State and Ohio State now sit one-half game behind first-place Purdue in the Big Ten standings. The Spartans will visit the Boilermakers next Sunday.

Ahead 39-26 after the opening 20 minutes, the Buckeyes dictated the pace of play for the majority of the second half. Kyle Madsen’s jumper five minutes in allowed OSU to maintain a double-digit lead, 48-37. However, Kalin Lucas bookended a Spartans 13-5 run with a pair of layups to get his squad to within 53-50 with 9:10 left.

Ohio State continued to fend off the more aggressive Spartans over the next several minutes, before Michigan State was able to battle back a grab a brief lead. Trailing by six, 61-55, with just under six minutes to play, Summers single-handedly put the hosts ahead with six straight points. His short baseline jumper with 4:05 to play put MSU up 62-61, but the advantage proved to be short-lived.

Buford was fouled on the Buckeyes’ next trip down the floor and made both free throws to give OSU the lead right back and spark a 7-0 run. Diebler finished it off with a three-ball for a 68-62 lead with 1:45 on the clock. Michigan State was able to get to within four on a few occasions, but Ohio State held on down the stretch.

Down 12-8 in the early going, Ohio State kick-started the offense into high gear and scored the next 15 points. Dallas Lauderdale got things started with a putback dunk and Diebler hit a corner three-pointer to put the Buckeyes in front 23-12 with 8:15 remaining in the half.

Michigan State responded with a pair of free throws and three-point play from Summers to slice the deficit a bit, but an 8-2 OSU run made it a 31-19 game with 3:17 left. Madsen’s mid-range baseline jumper in the final seconds gave the visitors a 39-26 advantage heading into the locker room.

Despite the loss, Michigan State is 63-52 in the all-time series against Ohio State...The Buckeyes finished 42.4 percent shooting from the field and made 7- of-17 from three-point territory...Michigan State ended 41.3 percent from the floor and made 5-of-15 from beyond the arc...Lucas ended with nine points and eight assists, but made only 3-of-13 shots...Lauderdale had eight points and as many rebounds for OSU.