COLUMBUS, Ohio — The opening tip hadn't even gone up and already Michigan State coach Tom Izzo knew it would be a game to remember.

Drew Neitzel hit a runner and two free throws in the final 44 seconds of the second overtime to lead the 14th-ranked Spartans to a 62-59 victory over No. 19 Ohio State on Sunday night.

"Even the officials looked at me before the game and said this is special," Izzo said.

Paul Davis, who scored 18 points for the Spartans (14-4, 2-2 Big Ten), cemented the lead with two free throws with 11 seconds left.

The Buckeyes' Jamar Butler then missed a 3-pointer and Matt Sylvester — who had earlier hit two big 3s to pull his team back — failed on a short follow in the final seconds. Davis rebounded for the Spartans, raising his arm in celebration while Izzo and his staff hugged on the sideline.

The victory gave the Spartans a split in a grueling conference start against four ranked teams — three on the road. They lost at Illinois and Wisconsin and beat Indiana at home.

"They've been in a lot of games like that," Sylvester said. "They're very tough mentally and physically. I think it reflects on the character of Tom Izzo."

Shannon Brown led Michigan State, which has won its last four trips to Columbus, with 20 points. Davis had 12 rebounds, while Matt Trannon had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

The win was a flashback of sorts for the Spartans in a game marked by physical, bump-and-grind defense.

"I'm really excited," Izzo said. "A lot of our older players were here. I felt like the old guys were back and we played our old style."

Maurice Ager, averaging 21 points a game, mustered just two on 1-of-11 shooting but his teammates more than compensated.

"I had a hard time getting open, period, because they were really on me," Ager said. "But that's the best part about our team. We've got some great players and they can't just take one person out."

Terence Dials led Ohio State (12-2, 2-2) with 19 points and 10 rebounds, with Sylvester adding 17 points on 4-of-6 shooting behind the arc.

The Buckeyes' losses have come by two and three points to ranked teams.

"It's not a game that makes or breaks our season," coach Thad Matta said. "Just like any win or any loss, you have to look at it quickly and move on. We have to find a way to get back."

The Buckeyes were hurt when leading scorer Je'Kel Foster fouled out early in the second overtime. He had an off shooting night with just eight points — almost half his average — but he had nine rebounds, three assists and didn't have a turnover in 40 minutes.

Ohio State forced the first overtime by scoring the final four points before Ager misfired over Foster's tight defense with a second left.

In the first overtime, Sylvester rebounded in traffic and muscled the ball back in with 15 seconds left to tie it at 50 with Davis missing a shot and Ager a tip at the finish.

"I thought we had it won a couple of times and let it slip away," Izzo said.

In the second overtime, Trannon, a wide receiver on the football team, scored the Spartans' first four points, with Brown hitting a pull-up jumper for a 56-53 lead. Sylvester, the hero of Ohio State's stunning upset of No. 1-ranked and unbeaten Illinois in last year's final regular-season game, countered with a 3-pointer for the Buckeyes to tie it.

With 44 seconds left, Neitzel drove the lane and banked in a shot with a defender draped on his back. Sullinger missed at the other end before Neitzel was fouled with 17 seconds left and hit both to make it 60-56.

Sylvester hit an NBA-length 3 with 12 seconds left, but Davis closed the scoring with his two foul shots.

"Both teams played hard. Both teams played great defense," Dials said. "Michigan State just made more plays at the end to win the game. It was a battle."