No. 6 Michigan State (16-2, 7-0 Big Ten) survived a furious rally, becoming the first team in 21 tries to defeat Nebraska (13-5, 3-4 Big Ten) on the road, 70-64.
Rather than relying on the efficient offense that this team has become used to, the Spartans leaned on their defense, holding Nebraska to a 19.2 percent three-point shooting performance. Junior point guard Cassius Winston lead the Spartans with 29 points and six assists, a career high.
As Michigan State led 60-48 after a pair of free throws from junior forward Nick Ward, a proud Cornhusker team fought back, cutting the Spartan lead to four multiple times. However, good free throw shooting helped the Spartans escape Lincoln with a victory.
A game between the Big Ten’s two leading offenses was instead bogged down by inefficient offense, whistles and turnovers. The Spartans turned the ball over 15 times, counteracting their 43.6 percent shooting, while Nebraska shot 32.8 percent. In addition, each team was called for 19 fouls.
A three-pointer by freshman wing Aaron Henry with 9:28 remaining broke a 44-44 tie, and kicked off a 16-4 run by the Spartans. A dunk by Kenny Goins was followed by a lay-up in transition by Henry, helping to stretch out the Spartan lead.
Nebraska opened the second half with tremendous defensive energy, holding the Spartans to only 11 points in the first ten minutes of the second half, and erasing the 33-28 halftime lead.
While Nebraska senior guard James Palmer Jr. led Nebraska with 24 points, he was not able to do so efficiently, shooting 6-of-21 from the field.
Though the Spartans started the game with two straight made three-point shots, they only made one of their next eight. Nebraska’s bevy of zone looks baffled the Spartans in the first half, forcing nine turnovers, including a rare shot clock violation at the 5:17 mark. The defense forced MSU to throw long cross-court passes, in many ways taking Ward out of the game. Though he scored nine first-half points, only one basket came on a traditional post-up.
Winston left the game five minutes in for a quick rest, resulting with a 12-3 Nebraska run. He proved to be the most valuable Spartan in the rest of the half, finding holes in the zone to score 16 of his 29.
Senior forward Isaac Copeland Jr. led the Cornhuskers with nine first-half points. The Nebraska starters scored all 28 of their first-half points, while the Spartan bench only scored three of the team’s 33 in their own right.
The Spartans held Nebraska without a field goal for the final 4:52 of the half, ending it on a 7-0 run.
Michigan State returns home to face Maryland at 6:30 p.m on Monday, Jan. 21.
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