Michigan State takes control of Big Ten with 75-62 win over Michigan

Jase Richardson scored 21 points and Tre Holloman had 18, leading No. 14 Michigan State to a 75-62 win over No. 12 Michigan on Friday night to take sole possession of first place in the Big Ten.

The Spartans (22-5, 13-3) have surged atop the highly competitive conference with their third straight win. The Wolverines (20-6, 12-3) fell out of first place with their first loss in seven games.

Michigan’s Vladislav Goldin scored 21 points, Danny Wolf had 11 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and Nimari Burnett added 12 points. The Wolverines led 38-34 at halftime and the Spartans went ahead for good on Carson Cooper’s dunk early in the second half. 

Michigan State’s Richardson earned his first start of the season on Feb. 8 against Oregon. He scored a season-high 29 points that night and has scored in double-digits in every game since then, including Friday.

Jaden Akins had 11 points, Jeremy Fears scored 10 and Michigan State was 9 of 22 on 3-pointers.

Takeaways

Michigan State: Tom Izzo’s team has put itself in a position to win a Big Ten title that wasn’t expected to be in reach when the season began. The Spartans have games remaining against conference contenders: No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 20 Maryland and Michigan at home on March 9 in the regular-season finale.

Michigan: The school agreed to a multiyear contract extension for coach Dusty May, announcing the move two hours before tip off. May, a Bob Knight protege, made it clear he is happy and had no interest in being the next coach at Indiana.

[Related: Michigan basketball, Dusty May agree to multi-year extension]

Key moment

Holloman made three 3-pointers in a 1:27 stretch midway through the second half, helping the Spartans take control.

Key stat

Michigan State’s depth was a difference, with its bench outscoring Michigan’s 31-13.

Up next

Michigan is at Nebraska on Monday night. Michigan State plays at Maryland on Wednesday night.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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