No. 11 Michigan State dominates Buckeyes

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) Kenny Goins had 10 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 11 Michigan State finished the game with a 20-2 run, beating Ohio State 62-44 on Sunday.

Matt McQuaid scored 14 points for the Spartans and Cassius Winston added 13. Michigan State (21-5, 12-3) pulled into a first-place tie with rival Michigan atop the Big Ten, holding Ohio State to 13 points in the second half. The Buckeyes (16-9, 6-8) led by six at the break but shot 4 of 21 from the field the rest of the way.

It was tied at 42 when Michigan State's Kyle Ahrens sank a 3-pointer that started a 10-0 run. The Spartans won despite an apparent injury to big man Nick Ward, who hardly played in the second half and appeared to have a wrap on one of his hands.

Kaleb Wesson scored 12 points for Ohio State, but he failed to take advantage of Ward's absence and foul trouble to Michigan State's Xavier Tillman.

The teams combined for 58 free throws when the Spartans won at Ohio State last month. There were only 21 on Sunday, but there was no shortage of physicality inside.

BIG PICTURE

Ohio State: A win would have done quite a bit to boost Ohio State's NCAA Tournament hopes, and the Buckeyes certainly were in decent shape after 20 minutes. But a dreadful second half left Ohio State well short of an upset.

Michigan State: It was a convincing home victory for the Spartans, although Ward's hand issue could be a problem going forward. Goins scored all 10 of his points in the second half and was impressive on both ends of the court.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Spartans have won three straight after a three-game losing streak, and they'll likely move back into the top 10.

UP NEXT

Ohio State: The Buckeyes are back home against Northwestern on Wednesday night.

Michigan State: The Spartans host Rutgers on Wednesday night.