Senior guard Denzel Valentine had 17 points and six assists as top-ranked Michigan State remained unbeaten with a 78-58 victory over Northeastern on Saturday in nonconference play at Boston.

Senior guard Bryn Forbes added 12 points as the Spartans (12-0) matched the program's best start to a season. Michigan State also opened with 12 consecutive wins in 2000-01 when it reached the Final Foul before losing to Arizona.

Senior guard Zach Stahl had 18 points and seven rebounds for Northeastern (7-4). Senior guard David Walker added 13 points and eight assists and senior forward Quincy Ford contributed 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Huskies had trouble defending the Spartans, who shot 61.3 percent in the second half to finish at 55.9. Michigan State possessed a 27-5 edge in bench points and held Northeastern to 2 of 16 from 3-point range.

The Spartans led by six early in the second half when they began pulling away with 12 consecutive points. A dunk by senior forward Matt Costello capped the run and gave Michigan State a 50-32 lead with 13:50 to play.

The Huskies never crept closer than 12 points the rest of the game. The Spartans pushed the lead to 20 for the first time on a layup by junior guard Eron Harris with 1:24 remaining.

Northeastern used an 8-2 burst to take a 15-10 lead on a layup by junior guard T.J. Williams with 10:57 left in the first half. Michigan State answered with a 13-2 surge and Valentine's 3-pointer gave the Spartans a 23-17 edge with six minutes remaining.

The Huskies trailed by four after Stahl's layup with 1:56 to play before Michigan State scored the final five points for a 34-25 lead at the break.