After losing double-digit leads multiple times, MSU eventually held on for a 76-67 victory.

Junior guard Denzel Valentine finished with 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists and senior guard Travis Trice totaled 18 points. Senior forward Branden Dawson also added 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. OSU freshman guard D’Angelo Russell finished with 19 points.

“The fact that Brandon and even Zel were flirting with a triple-double when there’s only been a couple in the history of our school and I think both of them should have had one if they would have done a little bit more,” Izzo said. “Each one of our three amigos here that need to play well had stretches where they were unbelievable and that’s why you win games.”

MSU (22-10 overall) stormed right by the Buckeyes early, using speedy transition offense to score some easy points. Valentine was the first to score for the Spartans on a lob from freshman guard Lourawls Nairn.

It was just the start of an excellent half, as Valentine later scored five straight points before running the break and finding Dawson for a bucket. It gave MSU a 24-12 lead and forced an OSU timeout.

He continued to roll, finding Dawson again with a no-look pass for another easy score for the senior and a 29-13 lead. The Buckeyes, however, countered with seven straight points to trim the deficit. The half was back-and-forth the rest of the way, and full-court pressure from OSU seemed to bother the Spartans as the half dragged on.

OSU standout freshman guard D’Angelo Russell found plenty of open looks, making three of his eight shots from the field. Two of those were big threes to lead OSU’s charge back into the game.

Both teams opened the second half with bursts of poor defense yet each team knocked down tough shots. For OSU, senior guard Shannon Scott drilled a contested three, and later Valentine matched.

Izzo pleaded his case for more fouls to be called but the game’s physicality continued. The team’s traded turnovers as well and some of MSU’s momentum was stalled. A Dawson block led to his own exclamatory dunk on the offensive end and a 47-37 lead by the 11:18 mark of the half.

The senior returned from a game and a half absence and he said his approach changed a bit for this one.

“I always have a different approach, different mindset toward every game,” Dawson said. “I wasn’t able to play the last game so I knew that my team needed me. Despite how I was feeling or anything, I just told my teammates that I was gonna come and play.”

Trice turned into a one-man zone killer in the second half, scoring eight straight points on two threes and a fast-break lay-up to give the Spartans a 55-41 lead. After another bucket, Trice had scored 10 of 12 MSU points, helping his team take a 16-point lead. It eventually got up to 17 points.

Leads have been hard to sustain almost all year, and almost on cue, Scott led the Buckeyes to eight straight points and suddenly, things got interesting again.

“I think we get a little fatigued down the stretch,” Valentinne said.

OSU trimmed MSU’s lead to just five (61-56), the Spartans worked it back to double-digits, and the trend continued. MSU found a way to hold on and a fast break slam from freshman forward Marvin Clark was the dagger.

The Spartans will take on Maryland at 3:30 p.m. ET tomorrow.