No. 19 Ohio State Loses Double Overtime Battle to No. 14 Michigan State, 62-59 – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 15, 2006
Box Score | Quotes | Notes
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Drew Neitzel hit a runner and two free throws in the final 44 seconds of the second overtime to lead No. 14 Michigan State to a 62-59 victory over No. 19 Ohio State on Sunday night.
Even though the game featured two of the Big Ten’s top three offenses, both played physical, hands-on defense.
Paul Davis, who scored 18 points for the Spartans (14-4, 2-2), cemented the lead with two free throws with 11 seconds left.
The Buckeyes’ Jamar Butler then missed a 3-pointer and Matt Sylvester – who had earlier hit two big 3s to pull his team back – failed on a short follow in the final seconds. Davis rebounded for the Spartans, raising his arm in celebration while coach Tom Izzo and his staff hugged on the sideline.
The victory gave the Spartans a split in a grueling conference start against four ranked teams – three on the road. They lost at Illinois and Wisconsin and beat Indiana at home.
Shannon Brown led Michigan State, which has won its last four trips to Columbus, with 20 points. Davis had 12 rebounds, while Matt Trannon had 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Maurice Ager, averaging 21 points a game, mustered just two on 1-of-11 shooting.
Terence Dials led Ohio State (12-2, 2-2) with 19 points and 10 rebounds, with Sylvester adding 17 points on 4-of-6 shooting behind the arc.
The Buckeyes’ losses have come by two and three points to ranked teams.
They were hurt when leading scorer Je’Kel Foster fouled out early in the second overtime. He had an off shooting night with just eight points – almost half his average – but he had nine rebounds, three assists and didn’t have a turnover in 40 minutes.
Ohio State forced the first overtime by scoring the final four points – a jumper by Butler with 5:54 left and a sweeping left-handed hook by Dials with 34 seconds left. Ager misfired over Foster’s tight defense with a second left.
The Spartans failed to score in the final 7:20 of regulation. The Buckeyes managed just two baskets in the last 8:40 as the teams traded body blocks and bruises.
In the first overtime, Ohio State trailed 50-48 before Sylvester rebounded in traffic and muscled the ball back in with 15 seconds left.
The Spartans hurried the ball down the court before calling a timeout. With the capacity crowd roaring, Davis put up a shot that missed the mark and Ager tipped it. The ball bounced twice before caroming away as the buzzer sounded.
In the second overtime, Trannon scored Michigan State’s first four points, with Brown hitting a pull-up jumper for a 56-53 lead. Sylvester, the hero of Ohio State’s stunning upset of No. 1-ranked and unbeaten Illinois in last year’s final regular-season game, countered with a 3-pointer for the Buckeyes to tie it.
With 44 seconds left, Neitzel drove the lane and banked in a shot with a defender draped on his back. Sullinger missed at the other end before Neitzel was fouled with 17 seconds left and hit both to make it 60-56.
Sylvester hit an NBA-length 3 with 12 seconds left to cut the lead to one, but Davis closed the scoring with his two foul shots.
