Liddell leads No. 13 Ohio St over skidding Michigan St 79-62
By MITCH STACY - Jan. 31, 2021 03:32 PM EST
Ohio State's E.J. Liddell, right, shoots over Michigan State's Julius Marble during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Ohio State's E.J. Liddell, right, shoots over Michigan State's Julius Marble during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Ohio State's Duane Washington, right, shoots past Michigan State's Marcus Bingham during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Michigan State's Aaron Henry, left, posts up against Ohio State's Justice Sueing during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Ohio State's Musa Jallow, left, drives to the basket against Michigan State's Joshua Langford during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Ohio State's C.J. Walker, left, and Zed Key, center, trap Michigan State's Rocket Watts at half court during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Michigan State's Joshua Langford, left, and Ohio State's Justin Ahrens fight for a loose ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Ohio State's Justice Sueing, right, tries to shoot over Michigan State's Aaron Henry during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Ohio State's Duane Washington, left, brings the ball up court as Michigan State's Rocket Watts defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — E.J. Liddell had 20 points and eight rebounds to lead No. 13 Ohio State to a 79-62 rout of skidding Michigan State on Sunday.

Justin Ahrens added 17 for the workmanlike Buckeyes (14-4, 8-4 Big Ten), who have won three in a row and six of seven.

Michigan State (8-6, 2-6) had hoped to rebound from an embarrassing 30-point loss to Rutgers on Thursday that followed a long COVID-19 layoff. The Spartans played better but still started sloppily, committing six turnovers and a dozen fouls in the first half while hitting two of their 10 3-point tries in the frame.

Joshua Langford led the Spartans with 14 points. They shot a dismal 32.1% as a team after managing just 26% against Rutgers.

The Buckeyes led by 12 at the half behind nine points from Liddell and seven from Ahrens, including a pair of 3-pointers. Five Spartans picked up two fouls each in the opening frame and that caused some shuffling of the lineup.

The Spartans got within nine with 4:20 left, but their shooting just got worse. They hit just 25% of their shots in the second half after showing promise with a 40% clip in the first half.

BIG PICTURE

Michigan State: The pandemic has been tough on the Spartans, who were ranked as high as No. 4 in the AP Top 25 earlier this season. They're trying to find their way back after a 20-day layoff and a 67-37 loss on Thursday to Rutgers, a team that had never beaten them. If the slide continues, the Spartans' streak of playing in 22 straight NCAA Tournaments — the third longest in the nation — could start to be in jeopardy. They were again without forward Gabe Brown because of COVID-19.

Ohio State: Coach Chris Holtmann has the Buckeyes moving in the right direction with a lot of bench players contributing. They avoided the ugly January swoon to which they have been susceptible the last couple of seasons.

UP NEXT

Michigan State: At No. 7 Iowa on Tuesday.

Ohio State: At No. 7 Iowa on Thursday.

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Follow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacy

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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25