Ohio State snaps 420-day road win drought with game-winner vs. Michigan State
The Ohio State Buckeyes have had more than their fair share of road struggles on the basketball court in the past year. On Sunday night, they exorcised those demons, thanks to a heart-stopping fadeaway three-pointer by Dale Bonner with 0.2 seconds remaining against Michigan State. The game-winning dagger lifted the Buckeyes to a 60-57 win in East Lansing.
The win snapped a road-losing streak that dated back all the way to New Year’s Day of 2023. The Buckeyes got double digits from four different players (Felix Okpara, Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, and Devin Royal). Even though they trailed 32-22 at halftime, Ohio State managed to outscore the Spartans 38-25 in the second half to come away with the victory.
With six seconds left in the game, Michigan State’s Tyson Walker nailed one of his two free throws to tie the game at 57-57. That’s when Ohio State brought the ball up the floor, and found Dale Bonner in the corner. Bonner was tightly guarded by Michigan State’s Tyson Walker. Bonner was able to create just enough space by fading away as he rose-up and delivered the game-winning dagger.
The Buckeyes also outrebounded Michigan State 39-33.
The Buckeyes only managed to drain 3 of 17 shots (17.6%) from beyond-the-arc, but they saved the one that counted the most for the perfect time. Bonner hit two of those threes, finishing with six points, one rebound, and one steal.
Michigan State got double digits from Malik Hall (15 points and seven rebounds) and Tyson Walker (12 points and three rebounds). The Spartans only hit 4 of their 16 (25%) shots from long distance.
It’s yet another impressive win put together by Buckeyes interim head coach Jon Diebler. Just a week ago, Ohio State stunned the then second-ranked Purdue Boilermakers with a 73-69 win.
Ohio State remaining games on their schedule
With the win, Ohio State now has a 16-12 overall record, including a 6-11 record in the Big Ten Conference. They currently sit at 13th place in the Big Ten. Up next, they’ll have three more games to finish off the regular season (Nebraska–February 29th), (Michigan–March 3rd), and (Rutgers–March 10th).
Michigan State (17-11, 9-8 Big Ten Conference) has now lost their last two games. They’ve got a massive one coming up against the Purdue Boilermakers (March 2nd) and their big man, Zach Edey. The Spartans finish the regular season with games against Northwestern (March 6th) and Indiana (March 10th).