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Second half surge leads No. 23 Ohio State past No. 19 Michigan

Michigan v Ohio State

COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 01: Luther Muhammad #1 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates after a play in the game against the Michigan Wolverines during the second half at Value City Arena on March 01, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Duane Washington Jr. tied a career high with 20 points and No. 23 Ohio State surged late to beat No. 19 Michigan 77-63 on Sunday.

CJ Walker had 15 points, and brothers Andre and Kaleb Wesson each added 14 for the Buckeyes (20-9, 10-8 Big Ten). They have won three straight and eight of their last 10.

Ohio State swept the season series against rival Michigan, winning 61-58 in Ann Arbor on Feb. 4, and reached 20 wins for the third straight season.

Franz Wagner had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolverines They lost their second straight after winning five in a row.

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Zavier Simpson added 12 points and seven assists for Michigan (19-10, 10-8).

Ohio State led 32-29 at the half behind Washington’s 12 points and 3-for-4 shooting from 3-point range. The Buckeyes did not allow Michigan an offensive rebound in the first half.

The Buckeyes didn’t pull away for good until late. The Wolverines knotted the score at 54 on Jon Teske tip-in with 6:51 left in the game. Andre Wesson then hit a falling 3-pointer off the glass and brother Kaleb followed with another 3 to make 62-54. The Buckeyes grabbed momentum from there. Kaleb Wesson hit another 3 with 1:36 left to give the Buckeyes a 13-point lead to touch off a 7-0 run.

BIG PICTURE

Michigan: The Wolverines hate to lose to Ohio State, and they did twice this season. This one came after they lost to Wisconsin 81-74 at home on Thursday.

Ohio State: The Buckeyes have shaken off their mid-season malaise and seemed poise to take some momentum into the NCAA Tourament.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Buckeyes could move up a few slots in the AP Top 25 and likely will be among as many as 10 Big Ten teams to make the NCAA Tournament,

UP NEXT

Michigan: Hosts Nebraska on Thursday before finishing the regular season at No. 9 Maryland on March 8.

Ohio State: Hosts Illinois on Thursday before wrapping up the season at No. 24 Michigan State on March 8.