Jaden Akins had 19 points and eight rebounds and No. 8 Michigan State pulled away late for a pivotal 71-62 Big Ten Conference victory over No. 11 Wisconsin on Sunday in East Lansing, Mich.
Jase Richardson supplied 11 points, six assists and five rebounds for the Spartans (24-5, 15-3 Big Ten), who clinched a double bye in the conference tournament.
Michigan State, which is battling No. 15 Michigan for the Big Ten title, has two games remaining before the tournament, including a showdown against the visiting Wolverines next week. Michigan lost to Illinois later in the day to drop to 14-4 in the league.
Jaxon Kohler controlled the paint with 10 points and 16 rebounds, while Frankie Fidler added nine points and six rebounds for Michigan State, which extended its winning streak to five.
John Blackwell led the Badgers (22-7, 12-6) with 19 points and six rebounds, while John Tonje had 11 points and six rebounds. Steven Crowl added 10 points and Nolan Winter chipped in nine points and grabbed 17 rebounds.
Wisconsin had an early nine-point lead erased by Michigan State’s 15-4 run. Neither team had a lead bigger than five the rest of the half, with the Badgers emerging with a 34-32 edge at the break.
Tonje and Blackwell combined to score half of those Wisconsin points, while Akins carried the Spartans with 14 points. Both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm, as Wisconsin shot 37.5 percent and Michigan State made just 31.6 of its field goal attempts.
The Badgers scored the first basket of the second half. The Spartans scored the next eight points, including a 3-pointer by Richardson.
Fidler made a 3-pointer and a layup to give the Spartans a 50-45 lead. A dunk by Akins off a Wisconsin turnover pushed the lead to six and Carson Cooper’s dunk with 8:40 remaining made it 58-50.
The Badgers then went on a 7-0 run, including five points from Blackwell. However, Wisconsin couldn’t get the lead.
Kohler’s three-point play with 3:14 remaining gave Michigan State a 65-60 lead. Richardson set up Cooper for a dunk, then made a steal and assisted on a Kohler layup.
–Field Level Media
