Dale Bonner's last-second 3 pushes Ohio State past Michigan State in road thriller
EAST LANSING, Mich. – It's been 12 years since William Buford sunk a jumper inside the Breslin Center to give Ohio State a share of its most recent Big Ten title, and the Buckeyes have been paying for it ever since.
The most recent installment played out on an unseasonably warm Sunday afternoon against a Michigan State team flirting with the NCAA Tournament bubble after a 78-71 home loss to Iowa on Tuesday night. Midway through the second half, the final outcome was assured: the Spartans led the Buckeyes by double figures and looked to be firmly in control.
Then, suddenly, they weren't. Dale Bonner's 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds left gave Ohio State a 60-57 win inside the Breslin Center, and the Buckeyes poured onto the court in jubilation.
"I was just trying to get a shot up," Bonner said. "We practice these situations and I was open, just shot it and it went in."
Bonner's shot capped a tumultuous final minute. He stripped Mady Sissoko with 37 seconds left as Ohio State trailed by one, and Roddy Gayle drew a foul with 11.9 seconds left and hit two free throws to give Ohio State (16-12, 6-11 Big Ten) its first lead against the Spartans (17-11, 9-8).
It was short-lived as Tyson Walker drew a foul on Bruce Thornton with 6.4 seconds left and went to the line for two. His first stuck on the rim, but he hit the second to tie the game at 57. Ohio State then pushed it upcourt and hit Bonner, whose leaning 3-pointer gave the Buckeyes the shocking win.
The Buckeyes were 3 for 17 (17.6%) from 3 for the game. Bonner finished with 6 points on 2-of-8 shooting and Ohio State closed the game by outscoring Michigan State 22-7 in the final 10:43 to snatch the win.
"I would say this one stings as much as any loss I’ve had in eight or 10 years," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said.
Down 50-38 with about 10 minutes left, Ohio State methodically clawed its way back into the game. A Felix Okpara shot in the paint made it 52-46, and Ohio State's defense forced five straight empty Michigan State possessions even as its own offense sputtered.
Zed Key broke the stalemate, putting back an Evan Mahaffey miss and getting fouls in the process. Key fired off his signature "finger guns" while flat on his back and hit the free throw with 6:43 left, and when Okpara scored on a hook in the paint it was a 52-51 game.
It was still a one-point game after two Gayle free throws with 2:08 left, and it set up a memorable finish.
The loss ends two Ohio State streaks of misery. The Buckeyes had lost nine straight games at the Breslin Center and hadn't won on the road since a Jan. 1, 2023 game at Northwestern -- a program-record, 17-game losing streak.
"We put a lot of work in," Devin Royal, who had a career-high 14 points, said. "To finally get a dub on the road, it just feels great to us."
The Buckeyes tipped off already at a disadvantage. Fifth-year forward Jamison Battle, the Big Ten’s leading 3-point shooter and Ohio State’s second-leading scorer, could not play after rolling his ankle during Thursday’s loss at Minnesota. The injury is not expected to affect him as the week progresses, but the short turnaround between games (Ohio State flew right from Minnesota to Michigan) kept him sidelined.
It forced only the second change to the starting lineup all season after Felix Okpara missed the New Orleans game with the flu. In every other game, including the last 14 straight, Ohio State has stuck with a lineup of Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle Jr., Evan Mahaffey, Okpara and Battle.
Freshman Scotty Middleton made his first career start in place of Battle, while the rest of the lineup remained the same. Those five had totaled 3:54 of Big Ten playing time entering the game.
Battle’s absence also robbed the Buckeyes of their only consistent perimeter threat. A 44.0% 3-point shooter this season (73 for 166), Battle’s teammates entered the game a combined 119 for 402 (29.6%).
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It showed. Michigan State built a 32-22 halftime lead while going a modest 4 for 9 (44.4%) from 3, but Ohio State was just 1 for 10 (10.0%) while battling just to keep it close. Gayle missed a 3-pointer late in the shot clock on the game’s first possession while the Spartans got 3s from A.J. Hoggard and Malik Hall in building an 8-2 early lead.
The Buckeyes used their defense to pull within one point, forcing Michigan State into turnovers on four straight first-half possessions, and when Gayle slammed home a dunk with 10:41 left it trimmed the Michigan State lead to 13-12. Michigan State’s Tre Holloman came up short on a floater, giving Ohio State a chance for the lead, but Dale Bonner missed a 3-pointer as the shot clock buzzed, Mahaffey fouled Malik Hall and he hit both free throws to push it back to a three-point deficit.
Thornton made two free throws with 29.5 seconds to pull the Buckeyes within 30-22, but Hoggard grabbed his own miss and fed Tyson Walker, who drove and finished high off the glass as he plummeted to the floor to set the halftime score at 32-22.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State takes down Michigan State on Dale Bonner buzzer-beater
