Valentine Leads No. 2 Michigan State Past Ohio State, 81-54
MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Big Ten player of the year Denzel Valentine scored 19 points and Eron Harris added 13 to help No. 2 Michigan State blow out Ohio State 81-54 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday night.
The Spartans (27-5) have won 11 of 12 and will face either Nebraska or No. 18 Maryland in Saturday's semifinal.
JaQuan Lyle had 10 points to lead the Buckeyes (20-13), who have lost three of five and must wait until Sunday to see if they'll get in the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State thought one more impressive win could be enough.
But Valentine refused to let it happen against the Spartans. He scored 10 points in an early 13-3 run, made a 3-pointer during an 8-0 run to start the second half and finished with nine rebounds and eight assists.
Michigan State led by as much as 28 in the second half. The Buckeyes couldn't get closer than 14 after that.
Valentine may have gotten a triple double — if coach Tom Izzo hadn't pulled him from the game with 5:28 to play so he could get some extra rest before the weekend.
The short-handed Buckeyes just couldn't stay with the deeper Spartans and it was evident from start to finish.
Michigan State jumped to a 17-7 lead in the first 6½ minutes and still led 33-26 at halftime.
The early run in the second half gave the Spartans a 41-26 lead. Bryn Forbes' 3-pointer with 13:07 left extended the lead to 20 and the Spartans continued pulling away late.
SHUT OUT
While it was a rough night by every measure for the Buckeyes, their most obvious problem was the inability to make 3s. Ohio State missed its first 12 shots from beyond the arc and didn't end the drought until Lyle made one with 74 seconds to play. Ohio State finished 1 of 13, while the Spartans were 8 of 23.
TIP-INS
Buckeyes: Have lost five straight in the Michigan State series. ... Ohio State has played five games against teams that reached last year's Final Four and is now 1-4, losing three times to Michigan State in 17 days, once to Wisconsin. The lone win came against Kentucky in December. ... The Buckeyes lost for only the fourth time in their last 19 Big Ten tourney games.
Spartans: Are one win away from playing for their third consecutive Big Ten tourney title in Indianapolis. ... Matt Costello had no blocks and remains tied with Adreian Payne for second on Michigan State's career list with 141. Branden Dawson has the school record, 142. ... The Spartans improved to 91-35 in March games since 1998-99.
UP NEXT
Buckeyes: Will await postseason fate.
Spartans: Face either No. 18 Maryland or Nebraska in Saturday's second semifinal.
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