COLUMBUS, Ohio (Michigan News Source) – Michigan State’s defense shut down Ohio State holding the Buckeyes to just 14 first-half points running away with the 62-41 win. MSU improved to 16-9 on the year and is now in a log-jam for sixth place in the Big Ten at 8-6. Five teams are now tied at 86 but only just three games out of first place held by Purdue who is 12-3.

“We came out strong, but had a lull in the first half and didn’t make a lot of shots. But when we got a moving and took the lead we stayed up,” said player Joey Houser. “Today we were pretty consistent for the full 40. It feels really good to win back-to-back games.”

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Houser led the Spartans with 22 points going 8-of-13 from the floor with six three-pointers adding eight rebounds and two assists. Tyson Walker gave MSU 10 points and three rebounds with three assists and Jaden Akins had nine rebounds. MSU finished shooting 45 percent from the floor and outrebounded OSU, 42-33.

It took two minutes for either team to score opening up the game as Ohio State hit a three-pointer. After exchanging the lead, the Buckeyes went up 6-4 at 15:30. Almost three minutes later, MSU made a bucket to tie the game at six on an Akins jumper. Houser then hit his first of six three-pointers in the game at 11:23 to break the tie, 9-6. A fourth tie happened at 8:40 when Ohio State made a jumper in the paint but MSU responded with five straight points on a three-pointer from Houser and a Walker jumper for a five-point lead, 14-9. Not going away, Ohio State answered back with a bucket to come within three, 14-11 (7:19), but MSU finished the final seven minutes of the half outscoring the Buckeyes, 13-3, for a 13-point lead.

It became a 15-point lead to start the second half on an A.J. Hoggard jumper but the lead was down to 10, 29-19, with 18:27 left to play. By the 16:20 mark, OSU was within eight, 31-23, and five minutes later the Buckeyes were threatening the lead down by five, 38-33 (11:24). MSU’s defense kicked back in only allowing two Buckeye points over the next five and half minutes on a 13-2 run for a 16-point lead, 51-35. Hoggard put the lead at 16 with 5:56 to go on another jump shot. Houser canned a three-pointer at 2:47 for a 22-point lead, 59-37, as Ohio State had only scored four points in almost nine minutes. Another Houser three-pointer at 1:37 put the lead at 23 points, 62-39, for the final points of the game as the Spartans went on for the 62-41 win.

MSU will host last place Minnesota on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in the Breslin Center on the Big Ten Network.