No. 3 Michigan State beats Indiana 71-66
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Gary Harris scored 20 of his 24 points in the second half, helping No. 3 Michigan State beat Indiana 71-66 on Tuesday night to remain unbeaten in the Big Ten.
The Spartans (18-1, 7-0) have won 11 straight games, extending their best one-loss start in a season in school history.
The Hoosiers (12-7, 2-4) have lost two straight and four of six.
Michigan State went on a 10-2 run to take a 62-52 lead with 4:29 left, but led by just four points after Yogi Ferrell made a 3-pointer with 36 seconds left. Keith Appling made one of two free throws on the ensuing possession and Stanford Robinson’s runner pulled the Hoosiers within three points.
Travis Trice made two free throws with 13.7 seconds left to give the Spartans a five-point lead, essentially sealing their 18th win in 19 home games against Indiana.
The Spartans were missing perhaps their best player, Adreian Payne, for a fourth straight game with a sprained right foot.
The Hoosiers didn’t have a key player, senior forward Will Sheehey, in the starting lineup for the first time this season after he injured an ankle in a home loss to Northwestern. Austin Etherington started the first game of his career in Sheehey’s place, giving the team a second sophomore in a lineup with three freshmen.
Ferrell scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half. Indiana’s Noah Vonleh had 13 points and 13 rebounds. He was named Big Ten freshman of the week on Monday for the second straight time and sixth this season.
Michigan State’s Branden Dawson scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Appling, who appeared to play much of the game in pain, had eight points on 2-of-10 shooting after averaging nearly 18 points the previous seven games. Trice and Denzel Valentine both scored 10 points.
Indiana led 28-27 at halftime on an eighth lead change after seven ties in a sloppy, closely contested first half. Midway through the first half, the teams had combined for more turnovers (10) than field goals (9).
The Spartans started to play a little better in the second half, going on an 11-2 run to take a four-point lead in the middle of the half, but they couldn’t sustain success against a young and scrappy team.
Harris, who was recruited to stay in state to play for Indiana, scored a career-high 26 points to lead Michigan State to a 73-56 victory over the Hoosiers last month.