MSU fades late, falls at Ohio State 71-61

Posted: 02.15.2011 at 11:11 PM

Buford scores 23 for Buckeyes

COLUMBUS, OH (AP) -- William Buford scored 23 points and Aaron Craft had a hand in two critical plays down the stretch to lead No. 2 Ohio State to a 71-61 win over Michigan State on Tuesday night.

It was a hard-fought struggle for the Buckeyes (25-1, 12-1 Big Ten), playing for the first time since having their unbeaten season ended with a 61-57 loss at Wisconsin on Saturday.

Jon Diebler and David Lighty each had 12 points.

Jared Sullinger, averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds, was limited to 11 and 2.

Craft, a freshman substitute point guard, had seven points, four assists, four steals and three rebounds.

Kalin Lucas led the Spartans (14-11, 6-7) with 14 points, while Adreian Payne and Draymond Green each had 10.

The Buckeyes finished the game on an 18-10 run to pull away.