One B1G battle

Good morning! It was a big night for mid-major hoops — and a Big Ten game that proved to be quite the dramatic finish.

Let’s get to it.

1. Michigan State comes back to beat Northwestern

If No. 12 Michigan State thought it could relax at home on Thursday against a team that had yet to win a Big Ten game, it was wrong.

The Spartans were sluggish to start, especially in the backcourt, and trailed at halftime. However, point guard Jeremy Fears took control in the second half, scored all 15 of his points and keyed a 76-66 win.

Fears’ second-half production was key but the MVPs for the Spartans were the frontcourt duo of Jaxson Kohler and Carson Cooper. Cooper’s 11 points kept Michigan State (14-2, 4-1 Big Ten) in the game early on (he finished with 18 points and 9 rebounds overall), while Kohler scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half.

Coach Tom Izzo said his team didn’t have its usual energy, mostly because of its schedule. “We looked mentally tired, and that falls on me. Three games in six days, we didn't look very good." 

The good news is that they managed to win a game in which they didn’t play their best for much of it. But they’ll need to get their energy back soon, with a looming road trip coming next week to Oregon and Washington.

For Northwestern (8-7, 0-4), it’s the fourth league loss by six points or fewer.

Nick Martinelli finished with a game-high 28 points on 8-of-11 shooting, while making all 10 free throw attempts. However, he was the lone double-digit scorer for the Wildcats, who shot just 29% from the field in the final 20 minutes.

They’ll look to get their first Big Ten win on the road against Rutgers this weekend.

2. Graham Ike carries Zags + more Thursday results

Michigan State wasn’t the only ranked team that struggled at home on Thursday. Gonzaga got all it could handle from Santa Clara.

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