No. 10 Michigan St tops Minnesota for Izzo’s 400th victory

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Earlier in the week, Tom Izzo downplayed what his 400th victory would mean to him.

When the Michigan State coach reached the milestone, though, he was overcome with emotion.

Draymond Green had 22 points, 14 rebounds and six assists to help the 10th-ranked Spartans beat Minnesota 68-52 Wednesday night for Izzo’s 400th win.

Izzo was wiping tears off his cheeks during the final seconds of the victory.

The Spartans (17-4, 6-2) moved into a first-place tie in the Big Ten with their second straight win after losing two in a row.

The Golden Gophers (15-6, 3-5) had won three straight, including their previous two on the road.

Minnesota’s Rodney Williams scored 15 and Ralph Sampson III had 10 points.

Michigan State led by two midway through the first half when it went on a 16-5 run, leading to a 37-27 advantage at halftime.

The Spartans were up by 13 early in the second half, but Minnesota pulled within five with just under 10 minutes left.

Michigan State responded with five straight points to restore a double-digit cushion and coasted to its 13th straight win at home against the Gophers.

The student section chanted, “Izzo! Izzo!” and “400! 400!” late in the game when only the final score was in doubt.

Keith Appling, the Spartans’ second-leading scorer, didn’t make a shot until the final minute of the game and finished with seven points and four assists.

Michigan State freshman Branden Dawson had 16 points to match a season high and Derrick Nix added eight points.

Julian Welch and Joe Coleman scored nine points each for the Gophers.

Green matched his highest-scoring game since scoring a career-high 34 points in a win two months ago at Gonzaga and he grabbed at least 10 rebounds for the sixth straight game.

He also did some coaching on the floor.

The senior forward called a play late in the first half while standing on the left side of the lane, directing the three other teammates without the ball to move to the baseline, and the possession ended with him making a short shot off a pass from Appling.

Michigan State made 54 percent of its shots and held Minnesota to 38 percent.

The Spartans, in a three-way tie atop the Big Ten with No. 4 Ohio State and No. 20 Michigan, improved to 13-0 at home this season. They get a short break before playing Tuesday at Illinois.