EAST LANSING, Mich. _ Cassius Winston insisted Michigan State's first meeting of the season with Michigan wasn't a one-on-one matchup with Zavier Simpson.
Perhaps, but Winston made it clear on Sunday, this matchup was about him reminding everyone around the Big Ten _ and the nation, for that matter _ why he's the reigning conference player of the year.
Winston scored a career-high 32 points while handing out nine assists as No. 14 Michigan State beat No. 12 Michigan, 87-69, at the Breslin Center on Sunday to remain unbeaten in the Big Ten. It was the fourth straight victory for the Spartans over the Wolverines including a three-game sweep last season.
Winston wasn't alone, as Xavier Tillman scored 20 and pulled down 11 rebounds for the Spartans (12-2, 4-0 Big Ten).
Jon Teske scored 15 before fouling out with 3:40 to play to lead Michigan (10-4, 1-2). Simpson scored 14 and had eight assists for the Wolverines while Brandon Johns Jr. scored 12 and Franz Wagner chipped in 10 as Michigan was 5-for-23 from 3-point range with Isaiah Livers on the bench with a groin injury.
Winston and Tillman combined to spark Michigan State early in the game as they scored 11 of the Spartans' first 15 points as Michigan State opened a 15-8 lead.
But Michigan's size was a big factor as the Wolverines scored 22 points in the paint in the first half with Teske leading the way with 11 while Austin Davis chipped in seven points off the bench.
A back-and-forth battle for most of the first half, Michigan State started to pull away late in the half. A 3-pointer from Marcus Bingham gave the Spartans a 44-31 lead with 1:34 before halftime, but Teske answered with the Wolverines' second triple of the half. A drive by Winston to close the half missed the mark as Michigan State headed to the locker room with a 44-34 lead.
It wasn't long before Winston started to take control in the second half. After his layup put Michigan State ahead, 52-40, Winston then nailed back-to-back 3-pointers, though one was answered by Simpson.
Michigan State kept pouring it on as Winston found Ahrens for a corner jumper, hit a pull up jumper then split a pair of free throws. After freshman Rocket Watts scored on a drive to the hoop, the Spartans were up, 67-51, with just less than 12 minutes to play.
The Wolverines responded with a 7-0 run to pull within 67-58 with 10:25 left in the game, but the Spartans pulled away over the last 10 minutes of the game to lock up the victory.
