WOMENS BASKETBALL

Ohio State 86, Michigan State 71

TIM ROBINSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Celeste Taylor scored 20 points to lead four players in double figures as No. 5 Ohio State rolled to an 86-71 win over Michigan State.

Rebeka Mikulasikova added 19, Jacy Sheldon 18 and Taylor Thierry 12 for the Buckeyes (21-3, 12-1 Big Ten), who led by as many as 33 points in the second half.

Theryn Hallock had 14 points and Julia Ayrault 10 for Michigan State (17-7, 7-6).

The Spartans led only once, when Hallock hit a free throw to complete a three-point play to give MSU a 13-12 lead with 3:51 remaining in the first quarter. Ohio State retook the lead on a 3-pointer by Taylor and never looked back.

Ohio State led 53-31 at the half and put the game out of reach with an 8-1 run to start the second half.

The Buckeyes shot 58% overall, while the Spartans hit 43% from the floor.

The win was Ohio State’s 11th in a row and 12th in its last 13 games. Michigan State lost for the second game in a row.

BIG PICTURE

Ohio State: The Buckeyes have yet to lose in 2024. Their last loss was a 69-60 defeat at Michigan on Dec. 30.

Michigan State: The Spartans, who were honorable mention in last week’s poll, likely will drop out altogether after two losses this week.

Ohio State athletics press release

February 11, 2024