EVANSTON, Ill. — Michigan State won’t get any style points, but it will take a win on the road anytime.
The 10th-ranked Spartans got that victory Sunday against Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena as Gabe Brown’s 3-pointer from the corner with 49 seconds to play helped Michigan State hold of the Wildcats for a 73-67 victory.
Brown scored 20 to lead Michigan State (12-2, 3-0 Big Ten) in a game marred by fouls and turnovers. Forty-nine total fouls were called, including 36 in the second half as the teams combined to shoot 51 free throws in the second half alone.
But the Spartans overcame all of it – 15 turnovers and a poor shooting first half, included – to get the victory as Marcus Bingham Jr. scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Max Christie scored 11 and Joey Hauser added 10 points and nine rebounds.
Pete Nance scored 13 to lead Northwestern (8-3, 1-1) while Chase Audige and Boo Buie each scored 12 for the Wildcats, who shot 32% for the game and were 20-for-30 from the free-throw line.
Michigan State started slowly and never found any sort of moment in the first half, falling behind quickly as Northwestern took advantage, dominating the glass and eventually taking a 13-point lead at one point during the half.
The Spartans were just 1-for-10 from 3-point range and gave up 11 offensive rebounds to the Wildcats, who had a 26-18 advantage on the glass at halftime.
When Michigan State got a bucket from Bingham at the 10:25 mark, it scored four points and turned the ball over five times over the next seven-plus minutes. A late surge by the Spartans pulled them within 33-26, but another turnover, the ninth of the half, allowed Northwestern to maintain momentum heading to the locker room.
The Spartans came to life in the second half thanks to an early 8-0 run that gave them a 36-35 lead less than three minutes into the half. The Wildcats responded with four in a row and eventually pushed the lead to 42-38. However, a put-back dunk from Christie brought some life to the building and sparked Michigan State.
The play from Christie ignited a 13-2 run for Michigan State that gave the Spartans a 51-44 lead with 10:17 to play after back-to-back 3-pointers in the corner from Brown.
Michigan State got sloppy, though, and two straight turnovers led to a run from Northwestern that helped the Wildcats tie the game at 57. But the Spartans scored the next eight points to retake the lead, 65-57, with 4:23 to play after a three-point play from Bingham.
Northwestern responded by scoring the next six points to pull within 65-63 with two minutes to play before Brown’s three from the corner as Michigan State got the job done from there at the free-throw line.
