Feb 23, 2026
3 min read
Carson Cooper scored a career-high 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead No. 15 Michigan State to a 66-60 victory over Ohio State on Sunday. Jeremy Fears added 11 points and eight assists for the Spartans (22-5, 12-4 Big Ten), who have won three of four to move into a tie for third in the Big Ten with No. 9 Nebraska and No. 9 Purdue. The Buckeyes(17-10, 9-7) fell to 0-9 against Quadrant 1 teams, a statistic that could affect their chances of earning an NCAA Tournament bid next month.
Carson Cooper scored a game-high 20 points to lead No. 15 Michigan State to a 66-60 win over Ohio State.
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Carson Cooper scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead No. 15 Michigan State to a 66-60 victory over Ohio State on Sunday.
Jeremy Fears had 11 points and eight assists for the Spartans (22-5, 12-4 Big Ten), who have won three of four to move into a tie for third in the Big Ten with No. 9 Nebraska and No. 7 Purdue.
The Buckeyes (17-10, 9-7) fell to 0-9 against Quadrant 1 teams, a stat that could hurt their chances of earning an NCAA Tournament appearance next month.
Ohio State, playing without an ailing Devin Royal and an injured John Mobley, had a chance to average 29 points per game.
Bruce Thornton tried to make up for it, scoring 32 points, but didn't get much help from his teammates except Christoph Tilley, who scored 10 points and missed just one shot.
Thornton was 12 of 22 and the rest 11 of 30. The Buckeyes scored 27 points on Tuesday in beating No. 24 Wisconsin 86-69 for their first win over an AP Top 25 team this season.
He passed senior guard Herb Williams on Ohio State's career scoring list and is just shy of Dennis Hobson's school record of 2,096 points.
Michigan State took a double-digit lead with 1:35 left and Ohio State scored seven straight points to pull within three.
Jordan Scott, who had 12 points, made a three-pointer with 9.8 seconds left and Cooper followed with two free throws to seal the victory for the Spartans.
Michigan's Jackson Koehler had 9 points and 10 rebounds despite his poor form.
Ohio State: At Iowa State on Wednesday.
Michigan State: At No. 7 Purdue Thursday.
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