University Park, PA (Sports Network) - Kalin Lucas scored 24 points in his return to the starting lineup, as 10th-ranked Michigan State halted a three- game skid with a 65-54 victory over Penn State at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Michigan State Bounces Back Against Penn State With Kalin Lucas Back In Lineup
Lucas injured an ankle in a loss at Wisconsin on February 2 and sat out a loss at Illinois before returning to the floor off the bench in Tuesday’s setback at Purdue. He made 10-of-15 shots on Saturday and dished out six assists with only one turnover to put the Spartans back in the win column.
Chris Allen added 14 points and Durrell Summers contributed seven of his nine in a key second-half stretch for Michigan State (20-6, 10-3), which reached 20 wins for the 11th time in the last 13 seasons.
Talor Battle, the Big Ten's second-leading scorer, did his part for Penn State with 30 points, but the Nittany Lions (8-16, 0-12) remained the only winless team in league play with their 12th straight loss.
Michigan State carried a six-point advantage to the second half and Allen drilled a three-pointer right out of the gate for a 34-25 lead, but Penn State stormed back. The Nittany Lions grabbed a 46-44 edge on a three-pointer by David Jackson with just under 12 1/2 minutes remaining.
Summers answered with a quick bucket at the other end to tie it and drained a three-pointer a few moments later to give the Spartans the lead for good. He then added a pair of free throws and three consecutive baskets by Delvin Roe capped the 13-0 burst for a 57-46 lead with just over six minutes to play.
The Nittany Lions got only as close as nine from there.
A three-pointer by Battle had the Nittany Lions within one midway through the first half, but Allen countered with a shot from beyond the arc to ignite a 7-1 run that gave the Spartans a 22-15 edge.
Penn State battled back to within three before heading to the break down 31-25.
Michigan State sophomore guard Korie Lucious did not make the trip because of academic reasons, although he was not suspended...Jackson finished with 10 points for Penn State...Michigan State improved to 27-5 all-time against Penn State, including 11-3 at University Park. The Nittany Lions won the last meeting, last February 1 at the Breslin Center. The teams will meet again on March 3 in East Lansing...The Spartans outrebounded the Nittany Lions, 38-24.
See More:
