Finally, Paul Davis asserted himself down low.
Finally, Tom Izzo found some clarity in his rotation.
Finally, MSU made big plays down the stretch.
And finally, the No. 25 Spartans got the win they so sorely needed — after four losses in five games — with a 74-65 win against Wisconsin on Thursday at Breslin Center.
"I thought we sucked it up pretty good," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said.
Davis, who earlier this week was named the Big Ten's most overrated player in Sports Illustrated magazine, had his second-highest scoring game of the season, finishing with 27 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field.
"Keep writing that stuff — I'll keep getting 27 points," Davis said.
What was especially impressive about Davis' performance was the fact that he picked up his second foul less than four minutes into the game. He sat out less than three minutes before re-entering the game, and showed no tentativeness upon returning. He got to the free-throw line 10 times — his most attempts since Dec. 3 against Arkansas-Little Rock.
"Give Paul credit because he went back in and played with those fouls," Izzo said.
Davis' performance anchored a strong night for MSU's Big Three, as he, senior guard Maurice Ager and junior guard Shannon Brown combined for 64 points.
Brown, however, was sidelined after a late foul aggravated a leg cramp he dealt with for most of the second half.
Brown sat out the last several minutes of the game, but both he and Izzo insisted it was a minor incident.
"Guy gets a cramp — that's no big deal," Izzo said. "Is that something that's a day-to-day thing? No. There's one thing you should never question on Shannon Brown and that's his heart."
Wisconsin jumped out to an early lead, but the Spartans seized control by finishing both halves strong. They went into halftime on an 11-2 run to go up 35-31.
They extended their lead to as many as 12 in the second half, but a layup by Alando Tucker with about six minutes remaining brought Wisconsin back within four at 59-55.
Ager then scored 10 straight MSU points over the next two minutes, keying a 12-2 run that put the game away.
"That's the ball game right in that stretch," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said.
Tucker scored 19 of his team-leading 23 points after halftime, but no other Badger made it to double figures. Kammron Taylor, who scored 27 in the last meeting between the teams, managed just nine points on 4-of-18 shooting — including three airballs.
Senior forward Matt Trannon dressed for the game, but did not play after missing the last two games with a broken jaw.
He was fitted for a protective mask to protect the injury, but Izzo said he didn't want to risk further damage.
"If you saw him grabbing my leg every couple minutes — finally I had to tell him, 'You're preaching to the choir, brother,'" Izzo said.
Goran Suton got his second career start in Trannon's place, and responded with his best game in months. The redshirt freshman forward scored four points, grabbed six rebounds and blocked two shots in 28 minutes.
"We got a lot out of (Suton)," Izzo said. "He was always in position to do things."
Redshirt freshman forward Marquise Gray also twisted an ankle midway through the first half, but Izzo said the injury doesn't appear to be serious.
