It was a tale of two halves between Penn State and Michigan State on Tuesday. A huge second half from the No. 5 Spartans was good enough to secure a 79-63 win.
Michigan State vs. Penn State final score: Spartans ride big 2nd half to 79-63 win
The Nittany Lions led at halftime, but it was all Michigan State in the second half.
Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports
The Nittany Lions started the game on a 10-3 run and led for most of the first half. Michigan State made a run late in the first half and briefly took the lead, but Penn State answered right back and built a 47-40 lead at halftime. That lead, however, was short lived as Michigan State started the second half on a 10-0 run. Gary Harris sparked it, scoring eight of the 10 points. Keith Appling put the Spartans up 54-52 with 14:10 to play and the Spartans didn't trail the rest of the way. The Spartans outscored PSU 39-16 in the second half
Appling, Harris and Branden Dawson were huge for the Spartans in the second half. All three scored points in bunches to help MSU build a double-figures lead. Dawson led the way offensively, finishing with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Appling scored 14 points while Harris finished with 13 points.
Brandon Taylor and D.J. Newbill combined for 35 of Penn State’s 63 points. The Nittany Lions gave the Spartans everything they could handle early on, but were unable to duplicate their first half performance in the second half. Michigan State dominated the boards, outrebounding PSU 45-26.
The Spartans (12-1) will be back on the road in their next game, traveling to Indiana to face the Hoosiers. Penn State will go on the road to face Illinois.
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