Michigan State junior guard Denzel Valentine hit the go-ahead, game-winning 3-pointer with a little under 4 seconds remaining to give the Spartans a 59-56 win over No. 23 Ohio State at the Breslin Center.
Valentine finished with a game-high 17 points to go along with three assists and three rebounds in the win while senior Branden Dawson had 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Relive the final moments of MSU’s 59-56 win and go inside the Spartan locker room: http://t.co/SYXlvT6IdQ
— Spartan Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) February 14, 2015
Ohio State had a game-tying 3-pointer from Sam Thompson (10 points) on the possession before, but Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo let his players play and Valentine came away with an open look for the win.
On the ensuing possession, the Buckeyes turned the ball over and never got a shot off. Shannon Scott led Ohio State with 15 points while D’Angelo Russell and Jae’Sean Tate also had 10 points each. Russell, a talented freshman, had a 4-for-13 shooting afternoon and was 2-for-7 from 3-point range.
Huge win for Michigan State in their NCAA Tournament hunt as they move to 17-8 and 8-4 in the Big Ten.