No. 12 Michigan State rallies from poor start in win over Northwestern

EAST LANSING, Mich. — From one of the ugliest halves of the season to a classic comeback.

Michigan State threatened to fumble Thursday night’s game against Northwestern, winless in Big Ten play, with a disastrous first half marred by turnovers and poor decisions. Instead, it snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, rallying for a 76-66 win at Breslin Center.

Nick Martinelli, who came into this game Division I’s fourth-leading scorer, put up 28 points for Northwestern as the Wildcats scored 30 points in the paint and 17 off 15 Michigan State turnovers. Michigan State found 33 points from its big men, Carson Cooper (who hit a career high 18) and Jaxon Kohler, as well as 17 rebounds from the duo in a 42-25 advantage on the glass.

No. 12 Michigan State plays one more game at Breslin Center, 7 p.m. Tuesday against Indiana, before heading out west for games at Washington and Oregon.

If eight first half turnovers compared to 10 made baskets was bad for Michigan State (14-2, 4-1 Big Ten), back-to-back turnovers on its first offensive possession and its first defensive stop didn’t make for much of a tone-setter to open the second half. Down 35-28 out of the break after an 11-0 closing run for Northwestern (8-7, 0-4), Michigan State looked poised for a second-half letdown for those expecting a comeback bid.

Then, things started to click. A couple of important offensive rebounds, paired with a couple nice driving layups from point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. and shooting guard Kur Teng, and the Spartans started to claw back. Piece by piece, a seven-point gap dwindled to three after Teng hit a corner 3 with 15:28 to play.

The game started to look like a football game after the opening sequence — fitting, with former Northwestern and now Michigan State coach Pat Fitzgerald taking in the game with some recruits. Paul Davis, the former Spartan center who was removed from his seat in Monday’s win over Southern Cal, was also back a couple days after a public apology for insulting a referee. Bodies hit the hardwood at both ends, Fears multiple times, and freshman Jordan Scott wrestled for a jump ball underneath Northwestern’s basket.

When the scoreboard replayed a video of Wildcats guard Angelo Ciaravino knocking down Fears without a whistle, an angered Tom Izzo earned a technical foul for his disagreement with 13:49.

Martinelli made two free throws and Arrinten Page scored on the possession to drive Northwestern’s lead to 45-38, but Michigan State charged right back. Freshman forward Cam Ward scored five straight points, capped by an and-one foul that drew the Breslin Center crowd to a roar. He made the free throw to set up a 45-43 affair with 12 minutes to go.

Then Michigan State really took over, led by its four captains. A 3 from Kohler. A mid-range pull-up by Fears at the end of the shot clock. A put-back for Cooper after a long Coen Carr miss. And when Carr jammed home a trademark dunk that forced a Northwestern timeout and drew the crowd to its feet, a deficit that once stood at eight now turned to a 52-47 lead with 9:14 to play.

Martinelli settled Northwestern back into a groove, and a travel by Divine Ugochukwu stymied some momentum. But Michigan State played with plenty of command down the stretch.Ward forced a travel with stout defense in the paint, and Kohler nailed a third-chance 3 — Michigan State led by eight points, its biggest lead of the game. Fears made it 62-52 with under five minutes to play, after making five free throws in a 10-2 run.

Northwestern didn’t go out easy, clawing back to within a shot, 64-62, after speedy guard Jayden Reid made layups off a foul on the break. Fears finished off a layup and Carr threw down another dunk to stave off the comeback. Northwestern called timeout with 1:11 to play as Page came off with what looked to be a lower body injury.

Michigan State played much of the first half without its floor general, point guard Jeremy Fears Jr., who took two blocking fouls in the first five minutes that sent him to the bench in frustration. His first was on a drive by Northwestern forward Tre Singleton. Fears set his feet outside the restricted area and looked to have been in proper position to draw a charge, but the officials disagreed. The second foul was surely earned, as he and a Wildcat tangled up under the basket on an offball cut.

Without Fears, Michigan State’s offense lacked its usual crispness. In fact, it played downright disjointed. And at the other end, a few missed coverages gave Northwestern some freebies. The Wildcats led by as much as four without Fears on the court, off a wide open 3 from Tyler Tropp with 11:53 to play.

Michigan State leaned on its big men to set the tone early, as Kohler and Cooper scored 16 of the Spartans’ 28 first-half points. Kohler drained a corner 3 on his first shot of the night, and Cooper made a nice jump hook just outside the paint in a half that ended with 11 points on perfect 5-for-5 shooting. His highlight of the first half might’ve been a sprinting block off the backboard to stop a break from Northwestern dynamo Reid.

Before Fears checked back in with 6:16 left in the half, Michigan State dug out of its hole. A four-point play by freshman wing Scott gave his team a 23-22 lead with 8:35 to play — and sent Northwestern forward Page to the bench with three fouls of his own. When Fears checked in, he stretched a one-point lead to four, 28-24, with five minutes til halftime.

Even with its best driver back, the wheels fell off the bus for Michigan State. Four turnovers, including a pass straight out of bounds by Kohler with two minutes to play, contributed to a scoreless five minutes to end the half. Led by star forward Martinelli, Northwestern put together an 11-0 run into the half, one that Izzo had plenty to go over with his team.