Despite a sluggish start and Ohio State's stellar play, Jaden Cooper's dominant double-double ignited a second-half rally for a hard-fought Spartan victory.
It was not pretty. It was not smooth. And for the first ten minutes, it barely resembled Michigan State basketball.
Nine points in the opening ten minutes told the story early. Shots weren’t falling. The offense looked disjointed. And the Ohio State zone defense had the Spartans looking like they were solving a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded.
Jaxon Kohler picking up two quick fouls didn’t help. He spent a large chunk of the first half parked next to Tom Izzo, and the rhythm never quite found him early.
Meanwhile, Bruce Thornton was putting on a show. Thornton scored 16 of the Buckeyes’ first 26 points and passed Greg Kessler for 34th on the all-time Big Ten scoring list and became the second-leading scorer in Ohio State history. He was a thorn in the Spartans’ side all afternoon — and he never stopped.
Ohio State led 26-23 at halftime in a game that felt like it was being played in mud.
Michigan State shot just 30% (8-for-27) in the first half. Both teams were ice cold from deep — MSU 2-for-8, OSU 1-for-9. The Spartans turned it over seven times compared to Ohio State’s three. And yet, they were right there.
Why?
Rebounding.
Michigan State dominated the glass early, leading 22-15 at the half and grabbing seven offensive rebounds compared to Ohio State’s one. It was the only thing keeping them afloat.
The second half felt different.
Jordan Scott, who continues to grow up in front of our eyes, got fouled on a three and knocked down two of three from the stripe to give Michigan State its first real grip on the game at 34-33 with 15 minutes to go. From there, it was a back-and-forth fight.
Ohio State wouldn’t go away. Not once.
But neither would Carson Cooper.
Cooper looked like the guy we saw earlier this season. After a rough three-game lull, he refound his mojo in a big way. He led the Spartans with 20 points and 11 rebounds, finishing with a double-double and repeatedly putting the team on his back when it needed him most. Mid-range jumper? Cash. Big rebound? Secured. Clutch bucket? Delivered.
Scott added 12 points and three assists, including a chef’s kiss of a pass to Cooper late that showed just how mature his game has become. He also had a huge put-back to push the lead to four at 51-47.
Jeremy Fears finished with 11 points and eight assists, continuing his climb toward the Big Ten single-season assist record. He did have a moment that sent the internet into detective mode after incidental contact led to a warning — nothing malicious, but enough for social media to add it to the “sus” archives.
Kohler, even with early foul trouble, battled back to finish with nine points and ten rebounds. Kur Teng chipped in five points off the bench and played big on the boards. Cam Ward added four. The bench only scored nine total, but their defensive presence mattered.
Michigan State’s biggest lead came at 61-51. And just when it felt like the Spartans had finally buried the Buckeyes — up eight with under a minute left — Ohio State went on a 7-0 run to cut it to 63-60 with 14.3 seconds remaining.
Of course they did.
Scott split a pair at the line to stretch it back to two possessions, and the Spartans closed it out 66-60.
Thornton finished with 32 of Ohio State’s 60 points, refusing to let the Buckeyes fold. But Michigan State’s second-half adjustments were the difference. The Spartans committed just three turnovers after halftime, finishing with ten total. They won the rebound battle 43-27 and the offensive glass 12-3. They assisted on 18 baskets compared to Ohio State’s eight.
They didn’t shoot well from three (4-for-15), but they found enough offense inside and finished at 40% from the floor.
It wasn’t pretty.
It wasn’t dominant.
But it was grown-man, Big Ten basketball.
And now the Spartans head to West Lafayette to face the seventh-ranked Purdue Boilermakers on Thursday.
Another test. Another fight.
Just the way March likes it.