Michigan State 68, Northwestern 44: Denzel Valentine knocked down four 3-pointers en route to 14 points and dished out eight assists as the visiting Spartans beat the Wildcats for the sixth consecutive time.

Travis Trice responded to his demotion to the bench by adding four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points for Michigan State (16-8, 7-4 Big Ten), which went 13-of-25 from 3-point range. Bryn Forbes added 11 points and Branden Dawson tallied seven points to go along with 10 rebounds and four blocked shots for the Spartans.

Tre Demps led the way with a game-high 20 points for Northwestern (10-14, 1-10), which has dropped 10 straight games. Vic Law produced nine points and seven rebounds while leading scorer Bryant McIntosh was limited to four points on 0-of-5 shooting for the Wildcats, who couldn't survive a 35.7 percent performance from the floor.

Forbes and Marvin Clark Jr. each buried two 3-pointers and the Spartans drained six overall as part of a 22-0 run to pull ahead 38-13. Michigan State knocked down nine 3-pointers and held Northwestern without a field goal for the final 10:47 of the first half to take a commanding 24-point lead into the break.

The Spartans continued their barrage from beyond the arc as Trice drained back-to-back 3-pointers to stretch Michigan State's advantage to 53-21. The Spartans led by as much as 35 and they coasted to the finish line to earn their third win in their last four games.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Michigan State has won 22 of the last 24 meetings. … Northwestern G JerShon Cobb missed the game with a toe injury. … The Spartans went 9-of-13 from the free-throw line after going 7-of-18 in a loss to Illinois their last time out.