Final
No. 11 Michigan State squeaks by Penn State
Mar 5, 2010 - 3:33 AM By TIM MARTIN Associated Press WriterEAST LANSING, Mich.(AP) -- Michigan State still has a shot at sharing the Big Ten title. Barely.
The 11th-ranked Spartans survived an upset scare from Penn State on Thursday night, pulling out a 67-65 victory in front of a nervous crowd at Breslin Center. The Spartans let a 10-point, second-half lead slip away before holding off the Nittany Lions.
"Somehow, thanks to a couple of guys, we found a way to win the game," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "But I'm not happy with the way we played."
Raymar Morgan, who finished with 16 points, hit two free throws with 12 seconds left to give Michigan State (23-7, 13-4) a 66-62 lead.
Chris Babb hit a 3-pointer for Penn State (11-18, 3-14) to cut the lead to 66-65. Michigan State's Kalin Lucas made one of two foul shots for a 67-65 lead with 5 seconds remaining.
Penn State's Talor Battle couldn't get a shot off before the buzzer. The loss, in many ways, summed up the season for the Nittany Lions.
"It's been a very tough year for us, and this is kind of how the games have gone, what you saw this evening," Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. "But our kids have fought and played hard and continued to execute."
Battle and Babb led Penn State with 16 points each.
Michigan State can earn a share of the Big Ten title for the second consecutive season with a victory against Michigan on Sunday. No. 6 Ohio State already has clinched a share of the championship, and No. 7 Purdue can share it with a victory over Penn State on Saturday.
Penn State refused to fold despite trailing by 10 points midway through the second half. The Nittany Lions took a 62-60 lead with 2:32 remaining on two free throws by Babb.
"We just let that 10-point lead dissolve in a matter of ... it seemed like seconds," Izzo said. "Maybe it was minutes."
A dunk by Michigan State's Draymond Green, who finished with 14 points and nine rebounds on his 20th birthday, tied the game at 62. Morgan hit two free throws with 1:24 left to give Michigan State a 64-62 lead.
David Jackson missed a 3-pointer that could have given Penn State the lead with 52 seconds remaining.
"We score on that play and it's a different game," DeChellis said.
A mad scramble and a Penn State foul put Morgan back on the line to secure the victory.
"It's that time of year when you have to step up," Morgan said. "But they (Penn State) wouldn't quit. They made some big shots."
Michigan State had lost its previous two home games to Purdue and Ohio State, in large part because of sluggish starts. The Spartans avoided a rare three-game skid at home.
Entering Thursday's game, Penn State had won three of its last four Big Ten games after losing 12 straight to start the conference season. The Nittany Lions have improved with Battle helping to get other players involved in the scoring.
Depth was a huge advantage for Michigan State with the Spartans' bench outscoring Penn State's 26-1.
Michigan State outrebounded Penn State 39-26.
- NCAA BB
FINAL 1ST 2ND TOTAL
--- --- -----
PENN STATE 25 40 65
MICHIGAN STATE (11) 32 35 67 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: PENN STATE - CHRIS BABB 16, TALOR BATTLE 16,
JEFF BROOKS 13
MICHIGAN STATE - RAYMAR MORGAN 16, DRAYMOND GREEN 14, TWO
PLAYERS WITH 9
Mar 4 8:58 PM - 171
rootsRUWTbot Added 16 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Penn State 62, Michigan State(11) 62 2nd - 1:47Mar 4 8:46 PM - 155
rootsRUWTbot Added 24 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Penn State 60, Michigan State(11) 60 2nd - 2:47Mar 4 8:42 PM - 131
rootsRUWTbot Added 31 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Penn State 58, Michigan State(11) 58 2nd - 4:38Mar 4 8:38 PM - 100
rootsRUWTbot Added 25 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Penn State 55, Michigan State(11) 56 2nd - 6:38Mar 4 8:34 PM - NCAA BB
PENN ST 25
MICHIGAN ST (11) 32 HALFTIME
Mar 4 7:46 PM
Related News
- 3 Likes And 3 Dislikes: MSU Tramples Stony Brook, 99-55 Dec 22
- Michigan State Dominates Stony Brook: Post Game Grades for The Spartans Dec 21
- Penn State 72, LeMoyne 55: Lions Tame Dolphins With Three-Point Barrage Dec 21
- YAY Hoops: Penn State vs. Le Moyne Open Thread Dec 21
- GAME THREAD: Michigan State vs Stony Brook - Men’s Basketball Dec 21
- Women’s Basketball Riding Wave Into Cherokee Invitational Championship Dec 21
- Penn State vs. Le Moyne Preview: Lions Look to Bounce Back Dec 21
- Michigan State Beats Oakland: Post Game Grades for The Spartans Dec 18
- GAME THREAD: Michigan State vs Oakland - Men’s Basketball Dec 18
- MSU Makes A Statement Against Baylor Dec 17
- Michigan State Beats Baylor: Post Game Grades for The Spartans Dec 16
- GAME THREAD: Michigan State vs Baylor - Men’s Basketball Dec 16