BTN.com staff, BTN.com staff, February 24, 2013

Aaron Craft slashed through the lane for a career-high 21 points on Sunday – more than he had scored in the last three games combined – to lead No. 18 Ohio State to a 68-60 victory over fourth-ranked Michigan State.

The loss crippled the Spartans' hopes of catching up with top-ranked Indiana, which now leads the Big Ten race by two full games with four remaining.

Deshaun Thomas added 12 of his 14 points in the second half for the Buckeyes (20-7, 10-5), who stand fifth in the conference. Evan Ravenel added 10 points and a crucial block in the final minute.

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Amir Williams get the slam, AND-1:

Gary Harris leaps over Deshaun Thomas for And-1:

Adreian Payne explodes for anther dunk:

Adreian Payne two-handed poke:

Gary Harris steal leads to Branden Dawson dunk:

Sam Thompson dunks the inbound pass:

Adreian Payne spins, explodes for flush:

Branden Dawson hammers down two-hander:

FINAL: Aaron Craft scored a career-high 21 points, grabbed three rebounds and handed out six assists to lead No. 18 Ohio State to a 68-60 upset win over No. 4 Michigan State on Sunday at Value City Arena in Columbus. Ohio State (20-7) erased any doubts by taking control right after halftime. The Buckeyes trailed 36-27 early in the second half, but a 24-5 run allowed them to take a 10-point lead midway through the second half. There were eight lead changes in the game. More Ohio State scoring came from Evan Ravenel (10 points) and Deshaun Thomas (14 points). Adreian Payne contributed 12 points and hauled in a career-high 15 rebounds for Michigan State (22-6) in the loss. Gary Harris had a quality shooting game, nailing 5-of-9 shots from the field and scoring 14 points.

HALFTIME: No. 5 Michigan State found itself trailing No. 18 Ohio State late in the first half, but a 14-5 run allowed the Spartans to take a 31-25 lead into halftime. The Spartans dominated on the glass in the first half, outrebounding the Buckeyes 21-14. The leading scorers on both sides have been held in check so far, as Ohio State's Deshaun Thomas and Michigan State's Keith Appling have scored two points apiece. Branden Dawson and Gary Harris led the Spartans with eight points each, while Evan Ravenel led the Buckeyes with seven points. Michigan State's Adreian Payne scored just two points, but he pulled down 10 rebounds.

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