National Basketball Association
Michigan St 69, Minnesota 61
When: 3:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 2, 2016
Where: Williams Arena, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Officials:
# Chris Beaver, # Bill Ek, # John Higgins
Attendance:
12836
By The Sports Xchange
MINNEAPOLIS -- Guard Bryn Forbes led the way with 20 points on 7 of 17 shooting as top-ranked Michigan State bounced back from its first loss of the season with a 69-61 victory over Minnesota on Saturday afternoon.
The Spartans (14-1, 1-1 Big Ten) took advantage of cold shooting by the Golden Gophers to open up a double-digit lead in the second half and held off their late rally. Forward Matt Costello added 17 points and 15 rebounds for Michigan State, which will likely lose the no. 1 ranking Monday after falling at Iowa earlier in the week.
Guard Nate Mason paced Minnesota (6-8, 0-2) with 16 points as the Golden Gophers lost for the sixth time in seven games. Minnesota missed 10 straight shots from the field in the second half as the Spartans turned a one-point lead into a 53-43 lead with 9:39 remaining.
Forward Joey King scored seven points late for the Golden Gophers, helping whittle Michigan State's lead to 63-61 with two minutes to play. The Spartans scored the final six points, including four free throws in the final 30 seconds.
Michigan State led 32-29 at halftime, getting seven first-half points apiece from Forbes and Costello. Forbes had the hot hand early, scoring seven of the Spartans' first nine points.
Minnesota freshman guard Kevin Dorsey Jr. hit a three-pointer at the first half buzzer to pull the Golden Gophers within three at the break. Freshman guard Jordan Murphy finished with 14 points for Minnesota.
It was the second consecutive big game and the sixth time in double figures for Costello, who scored 17 against Iowa.
NOTES: Saturday's game marked the 22nd time Minnesota had faced the top-ranked team in the nation, and the first under third-year coach Richard Pitino. The Golden Gophers upset No. 1 Indiana at home in 2013. ... Michigan State was playing its second game without leading scorer Denzel Valentine, who averaged better than 18 points per game in the non-conference season. Valentine, who had a minor knee surgery, is expected back next week. ... The Spartans are off until Thursday when they host Illinois in their Big Ten home opener. Minnesota travels to Penn State on Tuesday.
Top Game Performances
| Michigan St |
|
Minnesota |
|
Bryn Forbes 20 |
Scoring |
Nate Mason 16 |
|
Lourawls Nairn Jr 7 |
Assists |
Joey King 3 |
|
Matt Costello 15 |
Rebounds |
Jordan Murphy 9 |
|
Matt Costello 7 |
Free Throws Made |
Joey King 4 |
|
N/A |
Steals |
Carlos Morris 2 |
|
Deyonta Davis 3 |
Blocks |
Bakary Konate 2 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Michigan St
|
69 |
49.0 |
4-13 |
17-20 |
16 |
41 |
7 |
0 |
11 |
| Minnesota
|
61 |
33.8 |
5-20 |
12-19 |
11 |
29 |
2 |
5 |
4 |
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