Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Michigan St. Spartans Match Player Stats On Dec 03, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 3, 2017

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Nick Ward equaled his season high with 22 points, and No. 3 Michigan State overpowered Nebraska in the teams' Big Ten opener 86-57 on Sunday at the Breslin Center.

Ward also grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots. Spartans freshman Jaren Jackson had 15 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, while Cassius Winston contributed 16 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Miles Bridges supplied 12 points in the victory.

Michigan State (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten) has won six straight, including victories over Top 10 opponents North Carolina and Notre Dame in its previous two outings.

James Palmer Jr. led Nebraska with 15 points. Evan Taylor tossed in eight points.

The Spartans shot 47.4 percent from the field while holding the Huskers (6-3, 0-1) to a season-low 27.4 percent shooting. Michigan State outscored Nebraska 32-8 in the paint and 21-11 on second-chance points.

The Spartans made just one of their eight 3-point attempts before halftime but still led 38-26 at the break. They used a combination of inside scoring and offensive rebounding to build the lead, outscoring the Cornhuskers 16-2 in the paint and 15-0 on second-chance points.

Michigan State's starting frontcourt of Bridges, Ward and Jackson accounted for 30 first-half points, with Bridges and Ward contributing 12 apiece.

A Ward layup gave the Spartans their first double-digit lead at 22-12. A Ward tip-in nudged the lead to 15, and Bridges finished off a 25-9 Spartans run with the team's lone 3-pointer of the half.

That made it 34-16, but the Huskers finished the half with a 10-4 spurt, capped by Isaiah Roby's 3-pointer.

Michigan State picked up right where it left off on its first second-half possession, as Ward scored on a put-back. When Xavier Tillman scored on yet another offensive rebound five minutes into the half, the lead was 55-34.

The Spartans were on top by double digits the entire half.

NOTES: The Spartans are 48-10 all-time in Big Ten home openers and 32-36 in conference openers. ... Michigan State has defeated Nebraska in seven of 10 meetings since the Cornhuskers joined the conference. The Spartans lead the all-time series 15-9. ... The Cornhuskers have faced a ranked opponent in five of their past seven Big Ten openers. ... Nebraska hosts No. 12 Minnesota on Tuesday, while Michigan State plays at Rutgers the same night.