Ohio State sophomore forward E.J. Liddell (32) tries to find a teammate to pass to against Michigan State Jan. 31. Ohio State won 77-62. Credit: Christian Harsa | Asst. Photo Editor
In a month where the Buckeyes found their rhythm in Big Ten play, Ohio State ended January on a high note Sunday.
No. 13 Ohio State (14-4, 8-4 Big Ten) led for nearly the entire game Sunday en route to a 79-62 win over Michigan State (8-6, 2-6 Big Ten). The win marks the Buckeyes’ sixth of their last seven games as they push into February.
Senior forward Kyle Young said it felt good to finally end Ohio State’s four-game losing streak to the Spartans.
“Anytime you can get a win in the ‘Ten’, a win in general really, is gonna feel good,“ Young said. “We haven’t gotten a win in a while against them, it felt good.”
Sophomore forward E.J. Liddell led the Buckeyes in scoring for the third-straight game, dropping 20 points on 6-of-12 from the field. The Illinois native also gave Ohio State a boost off of the boards, collecting 8 rebounds.
Battling opposite of Liddell was Michigan State redshirt junior forward Joey Hauser, who provided the Spartans with 11 points on 5-of-11 from the field. Graduate guard Joshua Langford added a team-high 14 points on 4-of-15 from the field.
Hauser played a key role in Michigan State’s dominance on the glass as he provided the Spartans with 5 boards.
Although the Spartans were active on the glass, they struggled to make the most of their possessions on the offensive end of the floor.
While the Spartan offense struggled, they were still able to eclipse their 37-point performance against Rutgers Thursday with 12:05 remaining in the game.
Michigan State shot just 32.1 percent from the field while turning the ball over 10 times — resulting in 14 Ohio State points.
“They missed some shots that I think they’ll make, they’ll certainly make at their place and they’ll make once they get their legs back,” Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann said. “Overall, we did some things defensively that were good.”
Michigan State’s percentages plummeted when shooting from outside the arc, finishing just 20.8 percent from three.
Redshirt senior guard CJ Walker led the Buckeye defense with three steals off of the bench, while Liddell added a pair of blocks.
Walker, along with graduate forward Seth Towns and freshman forward Zed Key, helped Ohio State’s reserves to a 21-17 advantage over the Spartan bench.
Alongside bench scoring, the Buckeyes found success from beyond the arc — shooting 33.3 percent from three.
Junior forward Justin Ahrens continued his three-point shooting onslaught Sunday — finishing 2-of-5 from beyond the arc.
Redshirt junior forward Justice Sueing added 17 points on 4-of-7 from the field.
As the Buckeyes head into February and the Big Ten regular season title race heats up, the Buckeyes have positioned themselves tied for third place.
With Ohio State continuing to move up the standings, Young said the team has to continue to take the season one moment at a time.
“It’s hard not to look at those things but we just focus on trying to get better everyday,” Young said. “Being able to see the hard work pay off is nice but we’ve got a lot of season left, a lot of big games to play.”
Ohio State looks to keep it rolling Thursday when they travel to Iowa City, Iowa to take on the No. 7 Hawkeyes.
This story has been updated at 4:18 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021 with quotes from Kyle Young and Chris Holtmann.
