• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Izzo reaches milestone as Spartans down Golden Gophers

Jan 26, 2012 - 7:13 AM East Lansing, MI (Sports Network) - As the final seconds wound down at the Breslin Center, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo was seen trying to fight back tears on the Spartans' bench.

Draymond Green had a double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds, helping Izzo earn his 400th win at Michigan State as the 10th-ranked Spartans took down Minnesota, 68-52.

"The way he played, the shots he took, the rebounds he got, the way he defended and the way he passed, I thought that was one of the better performances a player has had here for me," said Izzo of Green. "That was a good way for the 400th too, if that has any significance."

Izzo, who took the head coaching job in 1995, became just the fourth Big Ten coach to reach the coveted 400-win plateau at one institution. Izzo joins Indiana's Bob Knight (662), Purdue's Gene Keady (512) and Illinois' Lou Henson (423) on the distinguished list.

Branden Dawson netted 16 points for the Spartans (17-4, 6-2 Big Ten), who have won two straight following a two-game skid. The win moved Michigan State into a first-place tie atop the Big Ten standings with Ohio State and Michigan.

Rodney Williams had 15 points to lead Minnesota (15-6, 3-5), which had its three-game winning streak snapped.

Michigan State shot 54.2 percent from the floor while limiting Minnesota to just a 38.3 percent clip.

Already holding a 16-14 advantage, Michigan State used a 16-5 run to push its lead to 32-19 with three minutes to play in the opening half.

Michigan State took a 37-27 advantage into the locker room.

An 8-0 spurt pulled the Gophers within five, 46-41, with 9:53 to play, but the Spartans countered with the next five points to extend the lead back to double digits.

Michigan State led by as many as 19 down the stretch.

"I'm real honored to coach against [Izzo] and have him in the league," said Minnesota coach Tubby Smith. "We had some opportunities there. We battled and battled, but lost the toughness part."

Game Notes

The Spartans have a road game against Illinois next Tuesday before coming home to take on Michigan on February 5...The Spartans outrebounded the Gophers 32-24...Ralph Sampson III scored 10 points for Minnesota.