EAST LANSING, Mich. _ Michigan State is in position to ascend to the No. 1 spot in the college basketball polls this week.
The third-ranked Spartans shook off a slow offensive start and pulled away to an 88-63 victory after Southern Utah got close in the second half Saturday night at Breslin Center. It was MSU's eighth straight win since its lone defeat against No. 1 Duke, which lost its first game of the season at Boston College earlier Saturday afternoon.
Miles Bridges finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Spartans (9-1), while Nick Ward and Jaren Jackson Jr. both added 17 points. Cassius Winston finished with 15 points.
Southern Utah (6-3) gave MSU a surprising test, thanks in large part to a bevy of 3-pointers. The Thunderbirds drained five from beyond the arc in less than 8 minutes of the second half, pulling within 56-51 with 12:22 to play.
However, the Spartans went on an 18-7 run that included eight points from Bridges and four from Ward to pull away.
Three players _ Dre Martin, Jacob Calloway and Jadon Cohee _ each scored 12 points to lead the Thunderbirds.
MSU made a concerted effort to get Ward the ball early and often after he was benched for the second half of a Big Ten win Tuesday at Rutgers, playing just 11 minutes total.
The sophomore forward made 6 of 10 shots, including swishing the first 3-point attempt of his career, and grabbed six rebounds in 21 minutes.
Winston, also benched for much of the second half at Rutgers, responded with 15 points while tying a career high with five 3-pointers. He also had five assists and just one turnover.
Even though the Spartans had a strong overall defensive game, holding Southern Utah to 32.8 percent shooting, there were a few areas of concern.
The Thunderbirds hit six first-half 3-pointers, and finished 11 of 26 from deep. MSU also struggled with turnovers in the opening half, committing seven of their 11 giveaways despite taking a 42-30 lead into the locker room.
Still, the Spartans also had plenty of good things. They dominated Southern Utah on the glass (49-34), shot better than 47 percent from both the 3-point arc and overall, had 24 assists on 28 made baskets and blocked 12 more shots after tying a school record with 13 on Tuesday at Rutgers.
MSU gets this week off for finals before it plays Oakland in the Hitachi College Basketball Showcase next Saturday at Little Caesars Arena. It will be the Spartans' first game at the new downtown Detroit arena, which also will host first- and second-round NCAA Tournament games in March.
MSU will find out if it moves up to No. 1 when the USA Today Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Top 25 are revealed. No. 2 Kansas also lost this week to Washington.
