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BOX SCORE
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Penn State nearly beat Michigan State
at its own game.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was angry and his players were
somber after the No. 1 Spartans beat Penn State 98-73 Wednesday
night in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
 | | | Marcus Taylor, back from a broken finger, finished with 11 points in 24 minutes for the Spartans. |
The Spartans (12-0) used a 25-4 run midway through the second
half to extend the nation's longest winning streak to 23 games and
the best run at home to 37 games.
Such a burst was necessary because Penn State (9-2) beat the
Spartans at their own game, with hustle and heart, for two-thirds
of the game.
"It was an incredible game," Izzo said. "They killed us in
the first half and we reciprocated in the second half. I don't
think there's any question that in basketball you're not going to
win championships playing 20 minutes. And yet, we found a way to
win the game and win it convincingly. But we have a lot of work to
do.
"If we don't do a lot of work we're going to get beat on Sunday
(at Indiana). We're not quite as good as we think we are."
Michigan State's senior duo of Charlie Bell and Andre Hutson led
the way.
Bell had 26 points, eight assists and a career-high six steals.
Hutson scored 20 points, grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds and had a career-best four assists.
Penn State (9-2) saw its seven-game winning streak snapped with
its seventh straight loss to Michigan State.
Titus Ivory led the Nittany Lions with 22 points. Joe Crispin,
the Big Ten's leading scorer, scored 21 points on 6-for-16 shooting.
Gyasi Cline-Heard added 16 points.
Michigan State shot 78.6 percent in the second half while
limiting the Nittany Lions to 21.4-percent shooting over the last
20 minutes.
"Offensively, we were absolute garbage," Crispin said. "Guys
were bickering about not getting the ball. I think it's good for
us. We blew a good opportunity today, but it's a good thing. I
think you learn a lot more from the bad times than the good
times."
The Nittany Lions were in command of the game in the first half
and led by 11 after 20 minutes. They maintained their lead until
Hutson made a steal and raced down court for a dunk with 11:08 left
to give Michigan State a 60-59 lead.
That basket was in the middle of Michigan State's impressive
burst, which began with it trailing 59-53 and ended with the
Spartans leading 78-63 with 5:42 left.
Penn State coach Jerry Dunn called timeouts in an attempt to
stun Michigan State's momentum, but it didn't work.
"It was close to being our best 28 minutes and probably our
worst 12," Penn State coach Jerry Dunn said.
Izzo didn't like the way his team seemingly flipped a switch to
go from playing without passion to one with relentless energy and
determination.
At one point, Bell allowed Crispin to pick up a loose ball and
make a 3-pointer right in front of Michigan State's bench.
"I don't really enjoy that, turning a switch off and on," Izzo
said. "That's not for championship teams, that's for average
teams."
Michigan State point guard Marcus Taylor returned from a 3½ game
absence, due to a broken finger, to score 11 points and allow Bell
to play shooting guard for extended minutes. Jason Richardson added
10 points.
"This definitely was a wake-up call for us," Hutson said. "If
we're going to win another Big Ten championship, we can't just play
hard for 20 minutes."
The Nittany Lions outhustled the Spartans in the first half and
shot 55.2 percent in the first 20 minutes.
Penn State went on a 21-4 burst to take a 43-31 lead and led by
11 at halftime.
The Spartans opened the second half with an 8-2 run to cut their
deficit to five, but didn't put Penn State away until its stunning
run midway through the second half.
The last time Penn State played a No. 1 team was in 1993 when it
lost 88-84 to Indiana in double-overtime.
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Penn State Clubhouse
Michigan State Clubhouse
Texas reappears in AP poll; top 11 unchanged
Michigan State still tops ESPN/USA Today poll
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Michigan State's Andre Hutson cuts to the hoop for the jam.
avi: 442 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Michigan State's Charlie Bell takes the ball full court for the layin.
avi: 717 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Penn State's Joe Crispin chases down the loose ball and nails the three.
avi: 863 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Penn State's Tyler Smith is wide open under the hoop for the basket.
avi: 649 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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