National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Michigan St 71, Ohio St. 67
When: 9:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 25, 2021
Where: Jack Breslin Student Events Center, East Lansing, Michigan
Officials: # Rob Kueneman, # Brooks Wells, # Earl Walton
Attendance: N/A

Aaron Henry scored 18 points and Michigan State rallied down the stretch to upset No. 4 Ohio State 71-67, continuing a late-season surge by winning Thursday night in East Lansing, Mich.

Gabe Brown added 11 points for Michigan State (13-9, 7-9 Big Ten), which bolstered its chances for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament.

E.J. Liddell's 18 points led Ohio State, while Duane Washington Jr. scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half. Justice Sueing added 10 points.

Ohio State (18-6, 12-6), which was playing in its road finale, has lost two games in a row for the first time this season. The Buckeyes were aiming for a seventh consecutive Big Ten road triumph.

Malik Hall made two free throws to put the Spartans ahead 64-63 with 2:32 remaining. Henry then bagged a jumper with 1:10 to play for a three-point edge.

Michigan State scored the game's final three points at the foul line, including two free throws from Joshua Langford with two seconds left.

The Spartans won despite making just 4 of 15 attempts from 3-point range. Ohio State was 4-for-14 from long distance.

Michigan State committed nine of its 15 turnovers in the first half.

Ohio State was coming off a 92-87 home loss Sunday to No. 3 Michigan. The Buckeyes have home games against Iowa and Illinois remaining in the regular season.

Ohio State appeared to take control following a technical foul that helped Michigan State pull even at 40-40. The Buckeyes responded with a 9-0 spurt before the Spartans came roaring back.

Michigan State, trying to build on a Tuesday upset of No. 5 Illinois, are tied for ninth place in the Big Ten.

Ohio State led 38-33 at halftime, buoyed by 56 percent shooting from the field.

The Spartans have their first three-game winning streak since opening the season with five straight victories.

The Buckeyes won 79-62 against the Spartans on Jan. 31 in Columbus, Ohio.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Ohio St.   Michigan St
E.J. Liddell 18 Scoring Aaron Henry 18
CJ Walker 5 Assists A.J. Hoggard 6
E.J. Liddell 8 Rebounds Marcus Bingham Jr. 5
E.J. Liddell 10 Free Throws Made A.J. Hoggard 4
Justin Ahrens 2 Steals Aaron Henry 2
Justin Ahrens 1 Blocks Aaron Henry 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Ohio St. 67 44.2 4-14 17-23 14 26 2 9 12
Michigan St 71 48.0 4-15 19-25 19 30 5 4 15