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Wisconsin edges Michigan State on Jackson jumper

Feb 10, 2014 - 12:34 AM Madison, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Traevon Jackson's pull-up jumper in the final seconds helped Wisconsin snap a rare three-game home losing streak with a 60-58 triumph over No. 9 Michigan State.

Wisconsin (19-5, 6-5 Big Ten) led 58-53 with 30 seconds remaining when the Spartans' Gary Harris, who shot a career-worst 3-of-20, canned a deep two out of a timeout. Ben Brust then missed the front end of a one-and-one for the Badgers, and Adreian Payne looked to send the game into overtime with his triple from the top of the key.

But Jackson had other ideas. The Badgers' point guard sprinted the length of the court, put a move on Harris and pulled up on a dime, draining the mid- range jumper with less than three seconds to play. Travis Trice's halfcourt heave was off the mark as the buzzer sounded.

"I was just thinking, 'I need to get a shot up this time,'" said Jackson, referring to a failed late-game opportunity against Ohio State on Feb. 1. "I didn't want to take it to the board and get blocked so the pull-up was there, and I'm blessed to be able to make it go in."

Freshman Nigel Hayes paced Wisconsin with 14 points after shooting 8-of-12 from the foul line off the bench. Sam Dekker and Josh Gasser added 11 points apiece, while Jackson finished with seven points, eight assists and five boards.

The Badgers snapped a five-game losing skid to Michigan State (20-4, 9-2).

Payne finished with a game-high 24 points for the ailing Spartans, who were without point guard Keith Appling for this one. Appling missed his second straight tilt with an injured right wrist and is expected to miss up to two weeks.

"I give credit to Wisconsin," said MSU head coach Tom Izzo. "They've got a helluva team."

After a forgettable first half, Harris got into the action early in the second with back-to-back transition dunks to cap a 9-2 MSU run.

The hosts withstood the surge, however, with Jackson canning a timely 3 out of a timeout to restore a four-point margin and Dekker extending it to 10, 43-33, with his trey at the 13:14 mark.

Payne did all he could to carry the Spartans, converting a pair of difficult three-point plays to keep them close.

Appling's replacement Travis Trice, who netted 13 points, cut the deficit to 55-52 with his trey from the top of the key. Payne split a pair at the line with just under a minute to play for a two-point game when Frank Kaminsky drilled a crucial 3-pointer. With 29 seconds left, the 7-footer received a feed from Jackson on the right wing and hit it from distance for a 58-53 Wisconsin edge.

Earlier, Wisconsin jumped out to a 30-22 halftime edge after holding the Spartans to 32.3 percent shooting. The opening 20 minutes featured six ties and eight lead changes.

Game Notes

Wisconsin improved to 13-11 against MSU under Bo Ryan ... The Badgers improved to 4-1 against Top-25 opponents ... Hayes shot 8-of-12 from the free throw line. MSU shot just 5-of-9 as a team ... Kaminsky scored 10 points ... Jackson had eight assists. Wisconsin had just 10 as a team, while MSU totaled nine ... Michigan State leads the all-time series, 64-51.