In the No. 1-seed MSU men’s basketball team’s 89-67 win over LIU Brooklyn on Friday in Columbus, Ohio, Green scored 24 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and handed out 10 assists. He had a very similar game in last year’s Second Round, dropping 24, 11 and 10 on UCLA.

That performance, however, came in a losing effort, making the impressive stats meaningless.

“At the end of the day, I’d much rather have a win than a triple-double,” Green said. “Because when you look at those record books, it’s going to say, ‘Draymond Green stats, triple-double.’ And then it’s going to say the score of the game.”

The score, Green said, is the only thing that matters, especially when playing in the one-and-done NCAA Tournament.

“It’s just about getting wins this time of year,” Green said. “And I’m just happy we were able to do that.”

Green became just the third player in history to record multiple triple-doubles in the NCAA Tournament, according to the Big Ten Network, joining Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Oscar Robertson. Friday also marks the third triple-double of Green’s career and his first this season.

Head coach Tom Izzo said assistant coach Dwayne Stevens told him with about three or four minutes left that Green was one assist away from the milestone stat. With the game already in hand, Izzo called a timeout and drew up a play where senior guard Brandon Wood came off a double screen with Green as the passer.

Wood hit the shot from the free throw line at the 2:04 mark, and Green checked out of the game at the next dead ball.

“Just like with (former guard Mateen Cleaves), I think guys that have a chance to do something that leaves a mark deserves the opportunity,” Izzo said. “And so I told him he’s got one shot. And that was the shot.”

Sophomore center Adreian Payne said he had no idea Green was approaching a triple-double. But with Green’s ability, he said it’s bound to happen now and then.

“Just coming out to play every day, with him passing the ball and dumping it off, you got to be able to finish around the rim,” Payne said. “And we did that. … But he probably should have more.”

Green, who was the Big Ten Tournament’s most outstanding player, was not happy with his play last weekend, particularly when he shot 4-for-15 from the field against Ohio State in the championship game.

Following his struggles last weekend, Green said his teammates deserved all the praise for picking him up. After dominating Friday’s game, the credit again went to Payne, junior center Derrick Nix, senior guards Brandon Wood and Austin Thornton and the rest of the Spartans, this time for making him look like the Big Ten Player of the Year he is.

For Green personally, he said it was the bounce-back game he needed as MSU moves on to play Saint Louis at 2:45 p.m. Sunday in pursuit of another championship.

“It’s the right time of the year to be playing good,” Green said. “So to be able to have a game like that at this point, I think it’s pretty good for me.”