Northwestern University Athletics
Saturday, February 17
Rosemont, Ill. (Allstate Arena)
1 p.m.
Northwestern
15-13, 6-9B1G
60
vs
65
Michigan State
26-3, 14-2B1G
1
2
F
Michigan State
27
38
65
Northwestern
49
11
60
Team Stats
MSU
NU
FG%
.435
.375
3FG%
.444
.391
FT%
.810
.900
RB
35
26
TO
12
7
STL
3
4
Game Leaders
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G/F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballNo. 2 Michigan State Completes Comeback Over Northwestern
2/17/2018 2:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Law leads Northwestern with 21 points
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Northwestern rocketed out from the opening whistle against No. 2 Michigan State Saturday at Allstate Arena, building a massive first-half lead before the Spartans roared back themselves in the second half to just edge the Wildcats, 65-60.
NU held the Big Ten's highest-scoring offense 18 points below its season average in a contest that is best described as a tale of two halves.
Three players scored in double figures for Chicago's Big Ten Team, led by Vic Law who racked up five makes from three-point range and finished with 21 points overall. Gavin Skelly added 11 points in 23 minutes of action, while first year Anthony Gaines chipped in with 10.
Michigan State was led by Cassius Winston, who finished with 17 points on eight shot attempts. Nick Ward contributed 15, nine of which came on makes from the free throw line.
The loss drops Northwestern to 6-9 in conference play, while first-place MSU improves to 14-2.
The 'Cats were off to a quick start Saturday afternoon with a Pardon dunk on the first possession of the game. The junior center followed it up with an assist on the next possession, as a three from Law made it 5-0 early.
Another jumper from Law made it 17-6 at the 11:50 mark, as he increased his total to 10 points in the first eight minutes of action. A 3-pointer in transition made it 20-6 shortly after, and the Spartans were forced to call a timeout.
The pause had little effect on the flow of the game, as a 10-2 run by the hosts increased the lead to 22 points. Gaines hit back-to-back layups before Law and Skelly each added a triple in the 3:30 stretch. Skelly went on to score 10 points in the final nine minutes of the period.
Michigan State finally showed signs of its offensive prowess in the closing stretch of the half. The Spartans tallied 14 points in the last five minutes after scoring just 13 in the opening 15 minutes. Ward paced the visitors with 11 at the break.
NU led 49-27 at the intermission on the back of 8-of-13 shooting from behind the arc. The Wildcats shot 60-percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes and recorded assists on 12 of their 18 made field goals.
Michigan State came out firing on all cylinders in the second half, ripping off a 19-4 run to cut the lead to seven points with ten minutes remaining. After a Northwestern timeout, the Spartans scored another seven straight to tie the contest at 53 apiece.
A layup-and-1 from Jaren Jackson Jr. put MSU ahead for the first time with 5:26 remaining. A dunk from Pardon a minute later gave the 'Cats just their second field goal of the half, as the game was a two-point affair with three minutes to play.
After multiple misses on either end, Bridges went to the line with 42 seconds on the clock. The Spartan knocked down both to stretch his team's lead to four points.
A tough drive and shot from Law rolled off the rim on the ensuing possession, and Michigan State added another pair of free throws to go up six.
With 11.4 seconds to go, Law hit a three to put Northwestern back within one score. The inbounds pass went to Bridges, who was quickly fouled and went back to the line. Back-to-back makes sealed the comeback win for the second-ranked Spartans.
NU shot 3-of=26 in the second half after going 18-of-30 in the first. MSU made 12-of-22 in the final 20 minutes.
The Wildcats will be back in action on Monday evening, hosting Maryland in the second of three consecutive home games. Opening tip is set for 6 p.m. CT at Allstate Arena.
Northwestern Notes vs. Michigan State – Feb. 17, 2018
• Freshman Anthony Gaines made the first start of his collegiate career. He got the starting nod in place of Bryant McIntosh who missed the game due to injury.
• Gaines scored 10 points in the game, marking his fourth double-figure scoring game of the season. The point total is one shy of his season high of 11 recorded on two occasions.
• Northwestern's 49 first-half points represented its most in a Big Ten game this season. The previous high was 43 in the first half vs. Minnesota Jan. 10 and in the second half at Minnesota Jan. 23. NU's overall high for points in a half this season is 55 in the first half vs. Chicago State Dec. 11.
• Vic Law scored a game-high 21 points for Northwestern. It is his second 20-point game of the season and the sixth of his career.
• Law also matched a career high with 5 assists in the contest. It is the fourth time this season and the fifth time in his career that he has reached the mark.
• Law's five 3-pointers also equaled a career high. He has hit five triples on four occasions, including earlier this year against Creighton on Nov. 15.
• Scottie Lindsey moved into a tie with Todd Leslie for 22nd place on Northwestern's all-time scoring list with 1,185 career points.
• Michigan State entered the game leading the nation with an average of 7.7 blocked shots per game but did not record a block in the contest.
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