Dale Bonner and Ohio State absolutely stunned Tom Izzo on Sunday afternoon in East Lansing.
Bonner somehow managed to hit a contested fadeaway 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Buckeyes past Michigan State 60-57 at the Breslin Center. Bonner’s shot sent the Buckeyes into a frenzy on the court.
Bonner’s shot came after Tyson Walker hit a free throw on the other end with just six seconds left, which tied the game up at 57. Ohio State then had to break a tough full court press before Bruce Thornton was able to find Bonner up ahead on the wing.
Michigan State led nearly the entire way on Sunday, and it took a 10-point lead into halftime. Ohio State slowly crawled back into it in the second half, however, and then held the Spartans to just seven points in the final 11 minutes of the game. The Buckeyes finally took the lead for the first time since the opening minutes after Roddy Gayle hit a pair of free throws with just 11 seconds left.
The 3-pointer was only Bonner’s second made bucket of the day. He finished with six points off the bench. Roddy Gale led the Buckeyes with 12 points and eight rebounds, and Thornton added 11 points. Ohio State shot just 3-of-17 from the 3-point line as a team.
Malik Hall led Michigan State with 15 points and seven rebounds in the loss. Tyson Walker added 12 points. They were the only two Spartans players to hit double figures. Michigan State has now lost two straight following a home loss to Iowa on Tuesday. The Spartans hold just a 17-11 record, which has them at sixth in the Big Ten standings. Michigan State, which started the season ranked No. 4 in the country, will head to No. 3 Purdue next on Saturday.
Ohio State, which earlier this month, has now won two of its last three games. The in their first game back after parting with Holtmann, too. They hold just a 16-12 record, which has them in 13th in the conference standings with three games left in the regular season.
