Jase Richardson had 12 points and Frankie Fidler scored 11, leading No. 14 Michigan State to a 75-66 win over No. 13 Purdue on Tuesday night.
The Spartans (21-5, 12-3 Big Ten) have won three of four to pull within a half-game of conference-leading and 12th-ranked Michigan, heading into the rivals’ matchup on Friday night at Crisler Center.
Trey Kaufmann-Renn scored 24 and Braden Smith added 17 for the defending Big Ten-champion Boilermakers (19-8, 11-5), who have lost three straight for the first time in five years.
Michigan State’s Coen Carr and Jaden Akins each scored 10 points.
The Boilermakers led by seven midway through the first half and the Spartans went on a surge to take a 33-31 lead at halftime.
Michigan State stayed in control in the second half and sealed the win by finishing 4 for 4 from the field.
Takeaways
Purdue: Without 7-foot-4 Zach Edey, now a rookie with the Memphis Grizzlies, the Boilermakers can’t protect the rim and the Spartans took advantage with lobs and dunks.
Michigan State: No one picked coach Tom Izzo’s team to win the Big Ten title before the season started, but the balanced and streaky squad has a shot with two games left against Michigan and a home game against No. 11 Wisconsin.
Key moment
Coen Carr defied gravity with a dunk off a high lob to tie the score late in the first half during a 16-5 run that gave the Spartans control.
Key stat
Michigan State scored 19 points off Purdue’s 12 turnovers.
Up next
With first place in the Big Ten at stake, Michigan State will play at Michigan on Friday night. In another rivalry game, Purdue will play at Indiana on Sunday.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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