Michigan State stays steady to secure 76-66 win over Northwestern
Although the Spartans put out a rocky performance for the majority of the first half, they were able to right the ship and get the home conference win.
Michigan State wrapped up a homestand Thursday night, defeating Northwestern 76-66 to improve to 4-1 in Big Ten play. The Spartans also extended their win streak to two after downing USC on Monday night.
Carson Cooper led the team in scoring with 18 points, falling just short of a double-double with nine boards and a block. Jaxon Kohler and Jeremy Fears Jr. both added 15 apiece for Spartans in double figures. Fears added five assists and Kohler eight rebounds.
Nick Martinelli led all scorers with 18 points for NU.
Pregame
After an uncharacteristically warm day the second round of Izzone Alumni band members gathered to fill the lower bowl for Michigan State's competition against Northwestern.
As expected, the start for the Spartans remained similar to many of the previous contests this season.
First Half
The game began with a splash from exactly the person you would expect, Kohler from beyond the arc. Northwestern did not begin the game quietly either, though. At the first timeout of the game, the teams went to their respective huddles tied at eight.
Around the 15 minute mark, Fears picked up his second foul and headed to the bench. Divine Ugochukwu took to the court in his place to lead the Spartans. Foul trouble resulted in Fears finishing the first half with only 10 minutes.
Following a few empty trips down the court for the Spartans, the Wildcats found themselves in the lead 17-13 at the next media break. After the timeout, MSU found points from Ugochukwu, Coen Carr, Cooper, and Jordan Scott to bring themselves into a back and forth battle for the lead.
Despite the energy provided by a Cooper slam dunk, the Spartans were unable to shake the Wildcats. MSU went to its locker room after turning the ball over multiple times in the last few minutes, trailing 35-28 at the half and totaling eight turnovers in the game to that point.
Overall, the first half consisted mostly of the Spartans seeming to find their footing only to lose it within the same few minutes.
The first half box score was as follows:
Second Half
After a very ugly first half of play for Michigan State, the team came out physical. Although physicality often provided the Spartans with a trip to the free throw line, they did not take advantage of those opportunities. The second half of play began with Cooper and Coen missing shots from the line.
A spark came from Kur Teng finishing a layup and sinking a trey from beyond the arc, but the momentum would not last long.
As chants of "ref, you suck" filled the Breslin following a no call involving Fears being shoved to the floor, head coach Tom Izzo was assessed a technical foul.
It continued to seem as if every time the Spartans had a chance to take over the momentum, they coughed the ball up and left their possession unused. With 11 minutes left in the game, MSU had four turnovers recorded in the second half. After what seemed like forever, and with help from veterans Kohler and Fears, the Spartans took the lead 48-45 with just under 10.5 minutes left on the clock.
Carr provided and extended the lead while simultaneously blowing the roof off the Breslin Center in his usual slam dunk fashion. Although MSU never trailed again after that moment, a once energized crowd began to fall quiet as NU cut the game to only a one possession lead.
With a timeout from Izzo, the Spartans pulled away. Michigan State finished the game with free throws from Cooper, Fears, Carr, and Scott as Northwestern turned to fouling in the closing moments.
The final box score was as follows:
The Spartans will host the Indiana Hoosiers at home next Tuesday, Jan. 13th at 7pm Eastern Time.