No. 4 Michigan State 54,
Northwestern 40
EVANSTON, Ill. — Gary Harris scored 14 points and No. 4 Michigan State beat Northwestern on Wednesday night for its ninth straight win.
The preseason favorite to win the Big Ten, the Spartans (16-1, 5-0) continue to roll along, although it was hardly an easy night for them. They overcame a sluggish start and pulled away down the stretch even though they shot 2 of 16 on 3-pointers.
Keith Appling scored 11 points and Branden Dawson, fighting an illness, had 11 rebounds and three blocks for MSU, which was missing one of its top players in Adreian Payne. The 6-foot-10 forward sat out his second straight game because of a sprained right foot.
Tre Demps did his best to keep Northwestern (8-10, 1-4) in the game, scoring 10 of his 12 points in the second half, but leading scorer Drew Crawford managed just six.