EAST LANSING, Mich. – After a slow start, Ohio State showed a lot of heart and was within one possession late in the second half but couldn’t quite get all the way back, as the Buckeyes fell 84-78 at Michigan State on Saturday afternoon.

Freshman Brice Sensabaugh led four Buckeyes (3-18, 5-15) in double figures with 21 points. Fellow freshmen Bruce Thornton also reached 20 points as he was 4-of-8 from long range and finished with 20 points.

Senior Justice Sueing had another solid performance as he scored 10 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished-out a career-high seven assists. Sean McNeil was the fourth Buckeye in double-figures with 11 points on 3-of-6 from distance.

The Buckeyes made 11 three-pointers, marking just the third time this season, and the first in Big Ten play, in which they made 10 or more threes in a game. They also were 11-of-12 from the foul line and have made 40 of their last 42 free throws over the last three games.

Just like in the first meeting this season, Michigan State used a 15-0 run at the start of the game to build a 17-4 lead. The Buckeyes trailed by as much as 13 but climbed back to within four after a Felix Okpara dunk and a McNeil three-pointer. Michigan State then hit three more three-pointers the rest of the half and would lead 43-34 at the break.

The Spartans led by 10 with seven and a half to play when a pair of Sensabaugh free throws sparked a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 67-64 with 5:40 to go. Thornton’s three-pointer capped the run and forced a Michigan State timeout. Out of the timeout, MSU scored four-consecutive points and the Spartans were able to keep Ohio State at arms-length the rest of the way.

BOX SCORE

COURTESY OHIO STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS