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No. 4 Ohio State falls to surging Michigan State 71-67

The Buckeyes have now lost two in a row for the first time this season.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — (AP) Aaron Henry had 18 points to help Michigan State improve its chances of making the NCAA Tournament with a 71-67 win over No. 4 Ohio State on Thursday night, two days after coach Tom Izzo's team beat No. 5 Illinois by nine points.

The Spartans (13-9, 7-9 Big Ten) rallied from a nine-point, second-half deficit with Gabe Brown finishing with 11 points and Josh Langford making key plays at both ends of the court. Following a disastrous start to the conference season, MSU is now making a case for its 23rd consecutive NCAA tournament.

Duane Washington Jr. had 17 points for the Buckeyes (18-6, 12-6), but he missed some key shots late, including one that looked to be stopped by a foul that wasn't called. Suspect officiating was a theme all night, and led to OSU coach Chris Holtmann being ejected for arguing with the refs when he was whistled for a second technical foul with only 1.4 seconds left.

For the first time all year, Ohio State has lost two consecutive games. The road does not get any easier, as they will host No. 9 Iowa Sunday afternoon in Columbus.

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