MSU Surges in Second Half to Come Back vs. Northwestern
In this story:
EAST LANSING, Mich. --- The crowd at the Breslin Center got real nervous on Thursday night, but the home fans ultimately went home happy.
No. 12 Michigan State overcame a seven-point halftime deficit against Northwestern, outscoring the Wildcats 48-31 during the final 20 minutes to pull out a 76-66 victory. This is MSU's second straight win, propelling it to 14-2 overall and 4-1 during Big Ten play. The Wildcats dropped to 8-7 and 0-4, respectively.
Jeremy Fears Jr. led the way during the Spartans' comeback after sitting for a good part of the first half due to foul trouble. MSU's point guard scored 15 second-half points after being kept off the scoreboard entirely during the first half. He also added five assists with no turnovers.
The Spartans return to action next Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, Peacock) against Indiana, which will be their third consecutive home game. IU faces No. 10 Nebraska on Saturday, but is currently 12-3 overall with a 3-1 mark against the Big Ten prior to that game.
First Half
The first half was one of the sloppiest of Michigan State's season. It definitely did not help that Fears had to accept a long tenure on the bench after he picked up his second foul about five minutes into the game.
MSU seemed to be managing fine without him, but then the Wildcats struck at the very end. Northwestern finished the first half on an 11-0 run to take a seven-point lead into the halftime break. NU's Nick Martinelli, the Big Ten's top scorer, had 11 points at the break on 5-for-7 shooting.
Northwestern had done a great job at making it a game that was more of its pace. MSU never really got out and ran during the opening 20 minutes, finishing the half with only two fastbreak points. Michigan State is not necessarily bad in a half-court game, but the Spartans still average 17 points per game on the break, and that was not there during that first half.
Turnovers were also an issue to start, just as it has been for several of MSU's first handful of Big Ten games. The Spartans turned it over eight times to the Wildcats' two in the first half. That helped allow Northwestern attempt eight more field goals in the first 20 minutes. Michigan State also missed five of its 11 free-throw attempts during the opening half.
Second Half
Michigan State needed some sort of run at the start of the second half, not just to cut into its deficit, but to help get the crowd back into it. The Spartans' defense did well out of the break, holding Northwestern to two points before the first media timeout of the final half, but MSU's offense wasn't really able to capitalize.
Momentum felt like it swung after Cam Ward scored three points the old-fashioned way, finishing through contact after grabbing an offensive rebound and making the ensuing free throw. That sparked 8-0 run that swing a five-point NU lead to a three-point advantage for Michigan State.
The Breslin Center reached its apex after Coen Carr finished off a fastbreak that got MSU's lead to five with about nine minutes to play. That spurred a timeout from Wildcats head coach Chris Collins to likely try to calm his team down.
It looked like it had worked, with Northwestern cutting it back down to a two-point game, but Michigan State never relinquished its lead after it first acquired with 11:29 to go. MSU had a 10-point lead at the final media timeout.
Northwestern wasn't ready to go away just yet. The Wildcats went on a 10-2 spurt coming out of that final media timeout to make it a two-point difference with about two minutes left. MSU then had its most important sequence of the game. Fears got a shot to fall, it got a stop, and then the Spartans found Carr for another emphatic dunk that made it a six-point advantage for the home team with 1:11 to go.
It was stressful, but it all added up to a Michigan State victory.
Keep up with all our content when you follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook, Spartan Nation, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be sure to share your thoughts on this latest portal addition when you join our community group, Go Green Go White, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE. Don't forget to give us a follow on X @MSUSpartansOnSI as well.
Never again miss one major story related to your beloved Spartans when you sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news. SIGN UP HERE NOW
A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
Follow jacobcotsonika