Ohio State wins fifth straight, knocking off Michigan State

Associated Press

EAST LANSING, Mich.

Ohio State had finally lost its grip on the Big Ten title, and to add insult to injury, the Buckeyes happened to be the visiting team on the night Michigan State planned its championship celebration.

Jantel Lavender and the Buckeyes did the only thing they could: They beat the Spartans again.

Lavender scored 24 points, and Ohio State spoiled Michigan State’s conference title celebration with a 54-53 win over the 10th-ranked Spartans on Thursday night. Michigan State had already clinched at least a share of the Big Ten title, but the Spartans couldn’t celebrate an outright championship until shortly after the game — when Penn State lost to Purdue.

Lavender’s free throw with 1:50 remaining was the game’s final point. Michigan State’s last chance came after a shot clock violation with 10.5 seconds remaining, but Jasmine Thomas missed from about 18 feet under heavy pressure from Ohio State’s Amber Stokes.

“We played great defense down the stretch,” Ohio State coach Jim Foster said. “On offense, we just tried to go through Jantel.”

Ohio State (18-9, 9-6 Big Ten) had won at least a share of the last six regular-season Big Ten titles. The Buckeyes won’t extend that streak, but they’ve now won five games in a row.

Ohio State also won both meetings against Michigan State this season, which had to take some of the sting out of the Spartans’ postgame celebration.

When asked if Michigan State’s title was a motivating factor, Lavender responded: “I’m just worried about our team.”