Field Level Media
Jan 31, 2018
Miles Bridges had 23 points and nine rebounds, and No. 5 Michigan State rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to defeat Penn State 76-68 and extend its winning streak to five games on Wednesday.
Cassius Winston posted a double-double for the Spartans (21-3, 9-2 Big Ten) with 15 points and 10 assists. Joshua Langford added 14 points for Michigan State, which is 14-1 at home.
Tony Carr racked up 28 points, six rebounds and seven assists for the Nittany Lions (15-9, 5-6), who had won their last two games. Lamar Stevens contributed 18 points before fouling out while Mike Watkins chipped in eight points.
The Spartans overcame 16 turnovers that led to 22 Penn State points by shooting 50 percent from the field. The Nittany Lions shot 38 percent but only gave up the ball eight times. Michigan State had a 16-2 advantage in bench points.
Carr scored 14 first-half points to carry Penn State to a 30-24 halftime advantage. The Nittany Lions, who led by as much as 10 points, forced nine turnovers and held the Spartans to 38 percent shooting. Bridges scored nine points but shot just 3-of-10 from the field.
Shep Garner's 3-pointer early in the second half gave Penn State a 12-point lead at 41-29. Michigan State then erupted with 12 unanswered points. Bridges scored five points during that span, and Winston supplied the last four.
Watkins scored in the lane after a timeout to end the Nittany Lions' scoring drought. Winston soon gave the Spartans the lead on a layup with 9:31 left. That was part of an 8-0 spurt that included a Matt McQuaid 3-pointer and three Nick Ward free throws to make it 54-49.
An 11-2 run by the Spartans, including seven by Langford, increased the advantage to 13. Penn State responded with a 9-2 run, including a pair of 3-pointers by Carr, but couldn't get any closer.
--Field Level Media