It was also a long-awaited coming out party for freshman guard Chris Allen, who was hampered by an injured foot for a portion of the schedule and finally appeared to playing at full potential. Allen finished with 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting.

Neither team led by more than five points in the first half, as MSU was plagued by free-throw shooting woes, going into the break with a 31-27 advantage. The Spartans shot 22-for-32 from the charity stripe.

MSU’s turnover woes also continued, as they have for much of the conference season. The Spartans tallied 12 by half and finished the game with 19. Contrastingly, the Green and White recorded a season-low seven assists after averaging better than 18 per game going into the contest.

Neitzel’s hot shooting in the second half gave MSU a more comfortable lead throughout. He shot 5-for-8 from beyond the 3-point line and finished with his highest point total since MSU’s third game of the season, a win against Missouri on Nov. 19. The Spartans shot 49 percent from the field.

Sophomore forward Raymar Morgan, who scored 31 points the last time the two teams met, scored nine this time around and shot 5-for-12 from the free throw line. Morgan missed his first seven free throws, but made his final five. After a league-best 20 games in a row with a double-digit scoring output, it was Morgan’s second consecutive game of scoring in single digits.

MSU has now won eight of the last nine meetings between the two schools and denied Minnesota head coach Tubby Smith his 400th career victory.

The Spartans continue play at 9 p.m. on Thursday at Northwestern.