Szymon Zapala scored a season-high 15 points and Jaden Akins added 14 as No. 18 Michigan State held off Ohio State 69-62 in Columbus on Friday for its seventh straight win.The Spartans (12-2, 3-0 Big Ten) blew a 14-point lead in the second half, trailed by one then put together an 8-0 run and never trailed again.Micah Parrish scored 13 and Bruce Thornton 10 for the Buckeyes (9-5, 1-2).The Spartans closed the first half with six straight points to lead 37-29 at halftime, and Zapala scored six in a row to start the second. Michigan State was ahead 43-29 with 18:19 remaining. That spurt gave Zavala 15 points in a 13-minute stretch spanning the two halves.Ohio State had no answer for Zavala, a 7-foot center who played at Longwood after three seasons at Utah State. He entered the game averaging 5.5 points, and his previous high this season was 10 points vs. Samford on Nov. 19.Down by double digits, the Buckeyes responded with a 13-2 stretch to pull to within 49-48 with 10 minutes left on John Mobley Jr.’s 3-pointer.
