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  • Gabe Brown Leads No. 10 Michigan State Spartans Basketball Past Northwestern

Gabe Brown Leads No. 10 Michigan State Spartans Basketball Past Northwestern

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Basketball

Senior forward Gabe Brown scored 15 of his game-high 20 points in the second half and No. 10 Michigan State used a late run to pull away for a 73-67 win over Northwestern at Walsh-Ryan Arena on Sunday afternoon.

Senior forward Marcus Bingham Jr. added 13 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots, while freshman guard Max Christie added 11 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Additionally, redshirt senior forward Joey Hauser had 10 points, nine rebounds and two assists and sophomore guard A.J. Hoggard chipped in nine points, three assists and two blocks.

Records

Michigan State, winners of seven-straight games and 12 of the last 13 games, improves to 12-2 overall and 3-0 in the Big Ten, while Northwestern falls to 8-3 overall and 1-1 in league play.

Recap

  • The Spartans trailed by 13 late in the first half and seven at the break, but took the lead early in the second half and used an 8-0 run late in the second half to take a 65-57 lead.
  • Tied at 57-all with 5:47 to play, Hoggard hit a pair of free throws to take the lead and then scored on a driving layup and a free throw to give MSU a 62-57 lead.
  • On the next possession, Bingham was fouled by NU forward Pete Nance as he hit a layup, converted the free throw and gave the Spartans a 65-57 lead.
  • The Wildcats cut the lead to two points before Brown hit a 3-pointer with 48 seconds left to make it 68-65 and the Spartans connected on 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute to seal the win.
  • The first half was cool for both teams as neither connected on more than 35 percent of their shots from the floor and both teams were scoreless for more than four minutes.
  • The Spartans took their biggest lead of the half, 5-2, on a 3-pointer from Christie.
  • Northwestern used a 12-2 run late in the first half to take a 31-18 lead on a driving layup from Pete Nance with 3:16 to play.
  • MSU used an 8-2 run over the final three minutes of the opening half and pulled to within 33-26 on a pair of free throws from Hoggard with 48 seconds left.

Recap

  • Michigan State connected on 78.8 percent of its free throws (26-of-33), including 79.2 percent (19-of-24) in the second half.
  • After shooting 33.3 percent from the floor (9-of-27) in the first half and 10.0 percent from 3-point land (1-of-10), MSU hit 44.0 percent in the second half (11-of-25), including 6-of-13 from 3-point land (46.2 percent).
  • The Spartans out-rebounded Northwestern, 42-41, including 24-15 in the second half.

Notes

  • Michigan State now leads the all-time series with Northwestern, 94-39, including a 38-31 record in games played in Evanston.
  • MSU Head Coach Tom Izzo has a 39-5 record against Northwestern.
  • This was the second time this season that Michigan State shot below 40 percent and won (against UConn in the Bahamas).
  • The Spartans out-rebounded Northwestern, 42-41, the 12th time this season they have controlled the boards (11-1).
  • MSU set season-highs for free throws made (26) and attempted (33).
  • Gabe Brown scored at least 20 points for the second-straight game.
  • He has scored in double figures in 13 of 14 games this season and 31 times in his career.
  • Marcus Bingham finished with 13 points and nine rebounds.
  • It was his eighth game this season in double figures and the 11th of his career.
  • Freshman guard Max Christie had his sixth games in double figures while grabbing a career high seven reboujnds.
  • Joey Hauser added 10 points and nine rebounds.
  • Hauser has scored in double figures four this season, including three times in the last five games.

Up Next

Michigan State hosts Nebraska on Wednesday, Jan. 5 at the Breslin Center (7 p.m., BTN).