Streaks were on the line in Lincoln, Neb., on Thursday night, and it was the visiting team that kept on rolling.
Junior Cassius Winston scored a career-high 29 points and handed out six assists to lead No. 6 Michigan State to a 70-64 victory over Nebraska, the 19th straight Big Ten regular-season victory for the Spartans. The loss ended Nebraska's 20-game run of home victories.
Nick Ward added 15 points and 10 rebounds for Michigan State (16-2, 7-0 Big Ten). Kenny Goins pulled down 11 rebounds for the Spartans.
James Palmer Jr. scored 24 points while Isaac Copeland Jr. added 13 for the Cornhuskers (13-5, 3-4).
The first half was a back-and-forth battle as the lead changed hands seven times.
The Cornhuskers' defense was stifling early, forcing Michigan State into nine first-half turnovers. However, Winston was on point from the opening tip, scoring 16 before the break.
Meanwhile, two free throws from Copeland with 3:04 to play gave the Huskers a 28-26 lead.
However, it was all Michigan State from there as the Spartans scored the final seven points of the half, capped by a three-point play from Winston with 12.5 seconds left, giving Michigan State a 33-28 lead at halftime.
The tight battle continued in the second half as each team struggled to find a rhythm. However, after Nebraska tied the score 44-44 on two Palmer free throws, Michigan State scored the next seven to take its biggest lead to that point, 51-44, with 7:26 to play.
The run included five points from freshman Aaron Henry, who hit a 3-pointer then converted on a layup in transition. His points were sandwiched around a Goins layup on a pass from Ward.
After Nebraska got within three, Ward scored on a hook on the block and Winston buried a deep 3-pointer to put the Spartans up 56-48 with a little more than four minutes to play.
The Spartans pushed the lead to 12 in the final minutes before putting the game away at the free-throw line, despite a late flurry from the Cornhuskers.
--Field Level Media
Michigan St | Nebraska | |
Cassius Winston 29 | Scoring | James Palmer Jr. 24 |
Cassius Winston 6 | Assists | James Palmer Jr. 3 |
Kenny Goins 11 | Rebounds | James Palmer Jr. 8 |
Cassius Winston 8 | Free Throws Made | James Palmer Jr. 11 |
Matt McQuaid 2 | Steals | Glynn Watson Jr. 3 |
Kenny Goins 2 | Blocks | Isaiah Roby 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Michigan St | 70 | 43.6 | 6-20 | 16-18 | 13 | 42 | 4 | 5 | 15 |
Nebraska | 64 | 32.8 | 5-26 | 15-19 | 11 | 30 | 2 | 9 | 9 |