John Mobley Jr., Devin Royal and Brandon Noel all sat injured or sick on the sidelines and watched their depleted team face a mountain of adversity at No. 15 Michigan State.
Bruce Thornton and his short-handed squad of teammates tried to move mountains in East Lansing on Sunday. But – predictably given the injury situation – the Buckeyes ran out of steam down the stretch.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 26 | 34 | 60 |
| #15 MICHIGAN STATE | 23 | 43 | 66 |
Thornton mustered all he could in a 32-point outing, but Ohio State (17-10, 9-7 Big Ten) fell to No. 15 Michigan State (22-5, 12-4), 66-60.
Center Carson Cooper led the way for Michigan State, collecting 20 points and 11 rebounds, both team-highs. Star guard Jeremy Fears Jr. scored at a lower rate than usual with 11 points, but still dished out eight assists for the Spartans.
First Half
When your second, third and seventh-best players are all out, and you hope to upset a top-15 team on the road, you have to make the game ugly. Ohio State made the first half ugly.
The two teams combined for just six points in the first four minutes, getting off to a 1-of-9 combined shooting start. Michigan State took a 9-6 lead off a 3-pointer from guard Kur Teng, but Thornton answered with a floater, giving him six of Ohio State's first eight points.
It became 10 of the Buckeyes' first 14 for Thornton, who canned a 3-pointer from the top of the key to cap an 8-0 run that gave Ohio State a 14-9 lead. Defense was the main catalyst – Michigan State went more than five minutes without scoring. OSU's zone defense proved stifling, contesting every shot.
Bruce feeling itpic.twitter.com/LSeghdjfkF
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) February 22, 2026
A pair of layups from centers Ivan Njegovan and Christoph Tilly extended Ohio State's edge to 18-12. Cooper sank a long-range 2-pointer, but Thornton answered with an impossible-looking layup that required his arm to bend back behind his shoulder.
Thornton's float game kept the Buckeyes ahead at the end of the first half as he knocked down two more floaters to make it 16 of 26 first-half points for Ohio State. The Spartans cut their deficit to three before halftime, however. OSU's defense held them to 29.6% from the field in the first half.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | MICHIGAN STATE |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | POINTS | 66 |
| 23-52 (44.2%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 22-55 (40%) |
| 4-22 (18.2%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 4-15 (26.7%) |
| 10-17 (58.8%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 18-25 (72%) |
| 6 | TURNOVERS | 10 |
| 26 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 43 |
| 4 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 15 |
| 22 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 28 |
| 11 | BENCH POINTS | 9 |
| 2 | BLOCKS | 2 |
| 5 | STEALS | 2 |
| 8 | ASSISTS | 18 |
Second Half
Thornton came out of the gates in the second half and hit an elbow jumper to push Ohio State's lead back to five. It wasn't long before Michigan State took the lead, however.
The Spartans launched an 8-0 run, capped by a crisp pass from Fears to forward Cameron Ward for a dunk. Thornton was quick to equalize with his second 3-pointer of the game, this one extended a few feet behind the arc. Ward hit two free throws to make it 40-38 Michigan State.
Taison Chatman hit a 3-pointer, and Tilly followed a turnaround jumper with a layup he finished through contact. The Spartans held serve with a 3-pointer from forward Jordan Scott, then jumped back ahead by two possessions on a 6-0 run closed by a Cooper layup.
Thornton kept swinging, rising to rattle home an elbow jumper over a strong contest. But the tank was on empty for Ohio State. Another 6-0 Michigan State run set the advantage at double-digits, 61-51, with 2:50 to play.
The Buckeyes still didn't quit. Down 63-53 with 1:27 to play, Thornton strung a made free throw together with an acrobatic layup. Ohio State strung a nice defensive possession together and Tilly cashed in a fast-break opportunity with a layup. MSU forward Coen Carr missed two free throws, Thornton hit a layup and OSU trailed 63-60 with 14 seconds left.
There just wasn't enough time to complete the late comeback. Scott made a free throw, and the Spartans closed out the win.
What's Next?
Ohio State gets a second consecutive Quad 1 game on the road when it travels to Iowa to play the Hawkeyes on Wednesday. Tipoff is at 9 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
Game Notes
- Bruce Thornton is now second all-time in scoring in Ohio State history, passing Herb Williams. At 2,037 points for his career, Thornton is 60 points away from passing Dennis Hopson for the most in school history.
- At 512 career assists, Thornton is five from passing Kelvin Ransey for fourth all-time in school history for dimes.
- The Buckeyes have now alternated wins and losses for 10 consecutive games.
- Ohio State drops to 61-77 all-time against Michigan State.
- Colin White hit his first 3-pointer of the season early in the second half.
