Buford, Craft lead Buckeyes

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

William Buford scored 23 points and Aaron Craft had a hand in two critical plays down the stretch to lead No. 2 Ohio State to a 71-61 win over Michigan State on Tuesday night.

It was a hard-fought struggle for the Buckeyes (25-1, 12-1 Big Ten), playing for the first time since having their unbeaten season ended with a 61-57 loss at Wisconsin on Saturday.

Jon Diebler and David Lighty each had 12 points. Jared Sullinger, averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds, was limited to 11 and 2. Craft, a freshman substitute point guard, had seven points, four assists, four steals and three rebounds.

Kalin Lucas led the Spartans (14-11, 6-7) with 14 points, while Adreian Payne and Draymond Green each had 10.

The Buckeyes finished the game on an 18-10 run to pull away.

The game turned the game with two quick defensive stops.

With the Buckeyes hanging on to a 45-44 lead, Buford stepped in front of a bad pass by Lucas and went coast to coast for the basket. The next time down the floor, Craft forced Lucas to give the ball up in the backcourt, leading to two free throws by Diebler. After the Spartans scored a second-chance bucket, Diebler flipped in a line-drive 3 from the top of the key for a 52-46 lead.

A capacity crowd of 18,809 roared its approval.

During one span, the Spartans had turnovers on four of five possessions.

The victory extended Ohio State’s home winning streak to 18. In coach Thad Matta’s seven seasons, they are 102-2 against unranked teams in Columbus.