Friday, March 4
Indianapolis, Ind. / GAINBRIDGE FIELDHOUSE
11:30 AM ET
Michigan State University
15-15,8-9Big Ten
58
vs
74
Ohio State
23-5,14-4Big Ten
1
2
3
4
F
Michigan St.
8
21
19
10
58
Ohio St.
22
22
13
17
74
MSU's Second-Half Comeback Falls Short against OSU in Big Ten Tournament
3/4/2022 3:19:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The No. 8-seeded Spartans were able to trim it to a six-point game in the fourth quarter.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - No. 8-seeded Michigan State had its Big Ten Tournament run come to an end against top-seeded Ohio State, 74-58, Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Spartans fought to overcome a 20-point first half deficit.
Michigan State ends the season with a 15-15 record, while Ohio State advances to the semifinals with a 23-5 mark.
Freshman guard/forward Matilda Ekh led all scorers with 21 points, while also added seven rebounds, just one shy of her career high. Senior guard Nia Clouden did not have her typical shooting night with only seven points, but added a team-high eight assists and six rebounds. Clouden ended her storied career with 1,882 points and 449 assists.
Michigan State said goodbye to a quartet of seniors in Clouden, Laurel Jacqmain, Alisia Smith and Tamara Farquhar.
Both team's struggled to find offense rhythm early with OSU starting 0-for-5 and MSU going 0-for-4. The Buckeyes then made four-straight baskets to take a 10-4 lead at the media timeout. Riki Harris had the hot hand with eight early points for OSU. Ohio State took its first double-digit lead 16-6 after a Taylor Mikesell jumper. Ohio State ended the quarter on a 6-0 run to remain on top 22-8 after 10 minutes.
Despite the double-digit deficit, the Spartans continued to fight throughout the second quarter. Mikesell continued to be too much for MSU, scoring 13 points in the first half. Michigan State was only out-scored in the second half 22-21. The Spartans had three players with six points in the first half in Farquhar, DeeDee Hagemann and Smith, trailing 44-29 at the break.
Scoring eight of the first 12 points of the third quarter, MSU cut it to a 48-37 deficit. The Spartans were able to keep the Buckeyes off the scoreboard for nearly three minutes. The Spartans used a 7-0 run to make it a 48-39 OSU lead. A Taiyier Parks free throw got it so single digits for the first time since the 3:13 mark of the first quarter. Ekh nearly out-scored Ohio State in the third quarter with 11 points, while OSU scored 13 in the period.
The Spartans continued to fight in the fourth quarter, as Ohio State went 1-for-8 from the field to start the period. After MSU cut it to a six point game, but the Buckeyes quickly responded with an 10-0 run with under a minute remaining in the contest to pull away for good.
Post-Game Notes vs. Ohio State
• Freshman Matilda Ekh finished with a game-high 21 points for the afternoon, her fifth performance of 20-plus points this year. She scored her career high of 27 points at Ohio State on Jan. 12.
• The Spartans shot 7-for-16 from behind the arc (43.8 pct.), marking their best three-point shooting percentage in a single game over their last five outings.
• Michigan State now stands 25-26 in the Big Ten Tournament, including 14-8 in the quarterfinals.
• The Spartans fall to 8-2 all-time against Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament, last beating the Buckeyes in the semifinals in 2016.
Michigan State ends the season with a 15-15 record, while Ohio State advances to the semifinals with a 23-5 mark.
Freshman guard/forward Matilda Ekh led all scorers with 21 points, while also added seven rebounds, just one shy of her career high. Senior guard Nia Clouden did not have her typical shooting night with only seven points, but added a team-high eight assists and six rebounds. Clouden ended her storied career with 1,882 points and 449 assists.
Michigan State said goodbye to a quartet of seniors in Clouden, Laurel Jacqmain, Alisia Smith and Tamara Farquhar.
Both team's struggled to find offense rhythm early with OSU starting 0-for-5 and MSU going 0-for-4. The Buckeyes then made four-straight baskets to take a 10-4 lead at the media timeout. Riki Harris had the hot hand with eight early points for OSU. Ohio State took its first double-digit lead 16-6 after a Taylor Mikesell jumper. Ohio State ended the quarter on a 6-0 run to remain on top 22-8 after 10 minutes.
Despite the double-digit deficit, the Spartans continued to fight throughout the second quarter. Mikesell continued to be too much for MSU, scoring 13 points in the first half. Michigan State was only out-scored in the second half 22-21. The Spartans had three players with six points in the first half in Farquhar, DeeDee Hagemann and Smith, trailing 44-29 at the break.
Scoring eight of the first 12 points of the third quarter, MSU cut it to a 48-37 deficit. The Spartans were able to keep the Buckeyes off the scoreboard for nearly three minutes. The Spartans used a 7-0 run to make it a 48-39 OSU lead. A Taiyier Parks free throw got it so single digits for the first time since the 3:13 mark of the first quarter. Ekh nearly out-scored Ohio State in the third quarter with 11 points, while OSU scored 13 in the period.
The Spartans continued to fight in the fourth quarter, as Ohio State went 1-for-8 from the field to start the period. After MSU cut it to a six point game, but the Buckeyes quickly responded with an 10-0 run with under a minute remaining in the contest to pull away for good.
Post-Game Notes vs. Ohio State
• Freshman Matilda Ekh finished with a game-high 21 points for the afternoon, her fifth performance of 20-plus points this year. She scored her career high of 27 points at Ohio State on Jan. 12.
• The Spartans shot 7-for-16 from behind the arc (43.8 pct.), marking their best three-point shooting percentage in a single game over their last five outings.
• Michigan State now stands 25-26 in the Big Ten Tournament, including 14-8 in the quarterfinals.
• The Spartans fall to 8-2 all-time against Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament, last beating the Buckeyes in the semifinals in 2016.
Team Stats
MSU
OSU
FG%
.397
.403
3FG%
.438
.348
FT%
.417
.800
RB
37
38
TO
17
11
STL
5
10
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
7
3FGM
5
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballGuard
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
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