EVANSTON, Ill. — Michigan State opened Big Ten play on Sunday night, and it did not go well.
Whether it was the fact the Spartans had played only once in two weeks or something else, they looked out of sorts from the opening tip as Northwestern dominated for most of the game, rolling to a 79-65 victory Sunday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
It was No. 4 Michigan State’s first loss to Northwestern since 2012, made even tougher to swallow considering the Wildcats won just three Big Ten games last season.
On this night, Northwestern was clearly the better team, shooting nearly 50% from 3-point range (10-of-21, 48%) and nearly outrebounded Michigan State, ending with just one less than the Spartans (33-32).
Boo Buie scored a career-high 30 for the Wildcats (4-1, 1-0 Big Ten) while Pete Nance added 15 and Ty Berry scored 12.
Michigan State (6-1, 0-1), meanwhile, could never get its offense moving. Aaron Henry scored 11 for the Spartans while Gabe Brown and Malik Hall each had 10, but the Spartans shot only 28.6% (8-for-28) from 3-point range. Rocket Watts was 2-for-11 shooting while Joey Hauser was 2-for-7.
The first half was an ugly 20 minutes for the Spartans, who looked like a team that had played only once in two weeks. The Spartans scored the first four points of the game but Northwestern quickly responded by scoring the next 11, taking advantage of a suspect Michigan State defense.
On the other end, the Spartans were setting for contested jumpers and when they did get to the rim, they were unable to finish.
Northwestern used another run – this one 14-4 – to open up an 11-point lead after back-to-back 3-pointers from Buie, a lead that jumped to 38-25 on a pair of free throws from Robbie Beran. Michigan State could get no closer as Northwestern took a 43-30 lead to the locker room with Michigan State’s final possession ending with a rushed shot at the buzzer after failing to find much else against the Northwestern defense.
Michigan State shot just 35.3% (12-for-34) in the first half, including only 4-for-15 from 3-point range. Meanwhile, Northwestern was 14-for-27 (51.9%) from the field, including 6-for-12 from three. The Wildcats were also the more aggressive team, getting to the line 10 times and matching Michigan State on the glass as each team had 17 rebounds.
The Spartans opened the second half with plenty of energy and cut the deficit to 10 at 50-40, but they missed two straight 3-pointers and a pair of free throws and the Wildcats took advantage. Northwestern scored the next 11 points to take a 61-40 lead, though Michigan State scored nine in a row to pull within in 61-49.
The Wildcats answered with a triple from Berry and Michigan State never truly threatened again.
