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Tom Izzo wins 600th game as Michigan State defeats Ohio State, advances to semifinals

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Michigan State is headed back to the B1G Tournament semifinals, and with it comes a significant milestone for head coach Tom Izzo.

Cassius Winston scored 18 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had five assists leading the Spartans to a 77-70 victory over Ohio State in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament on Friday afternoon. Now, Michigan State awaits the winner of the Wisconsin-Nebraska game on Saturday.

Michigan State’s win was the 600th of Izzo’s career with the Spartans.

The Spartans also got good contributions from Matt McQuaid, who scored 12 points and Foster Loyer who added 14 off the bench. Star big man Nick Ward made his return to the floor after suffering a hairline fracture in his hand. He scored eight points and grabbed two rebounds in the win.

Michigan State led by as many as 21 late in the second half, but Ohio State made a furious 16-2 run in the final four minutes to make the score much closer. Those four minutes were a blemish in an otherwise impressive half of basketball.

With the win, the Spartans improved to 26-6 on the season. They are pursuing their first B1G Tournament title since 2016.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB