COLUMBUS, Ohio – Aaron Craft had 21 points and six assists as 18th-ranked Ohio State rallied in the second half to beat No. 4/5 Michigan State 68-60 at Value City Arena Sunday.
It was only OSU’s second win this season over a Top 10 team and came after the Buckeyes found themselves trailing, 31-25, at halftime.
“I told my players at halftime we had some great looks, but we have to put the ball in the basket,” head coach Thad Matta said.
Ohio State came out of the locker room and outscored Sparty 26-10 in the first 10:19 of the second half to take a commanding lead.
“This time of the year, we need to find something rolling. We found ourselves in a similar situation last year. The biggest thing is that we got a win against a great opponent,” said Craft.
“It doesn’t matter who scores, all that matter is that our team has more points at the end of the game. Hopefully, we can continue this going forward,” he said.
Deshaun Thomas added 14 points with seven rebounds for the Buckeyes (20-7, 10-5), who play at Northwestern on Thursday.