Georgetown beats No. 7 Michigan State
NEW YORK — Markel Starks scored 16 points and Georgetown ended a five-game losing streak with a 64-60 victory over short-handed and seventh-ranked Michigan State on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
Jabril Trawick came up with two big plays late for the Hoyas (12-9) in the late-season nonconference game that was part of the New York area’s celebration of Sunday’s Super Bowl.
Michigan State (19-3) played without injured frontcourt players Adreian Payne and Branden Dawson and the Spartans had a tough time shooting.
Gary Harris finally started connecting for Michigan State and his 3-pointer brought the Spartans within 56-54 with 1:32 to play.
On the ensuing possession, Trawick tipped in a missed shot to give the Hoyas a four-point lead and he came up big again when his breakaway dunk gave Georgetown a 63-55 lead with 30 seconds to go.
D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera added 12 points for the Hoyas, who shot 44.9 percent from the field (22 of 49) but were just 2 of 12 from 3-point range.
Harris led the Spartans with 20 points, including going 4 of 10 from 3-point range. Michigan State finished 21 of 53 from the field (39.6 percent) and was 9 of 29 from beyond the arc.
This was just the second meeting ever between the schools with Michigan State winning the other in the second round of the 1986 NCAA tournament.
The loss drops the Spartans to 2-1 in New York City this season. They won the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in Barclays Center in Brooklyn in November.
Payne has missed the last six games with a sprained foot while Dawson has missed the last two with a broken bone in his right hand.