Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Michigan State
Wildcats Fall To Michigan State, 66-56
2/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Chris Hill scored 16 points, including three 3-pointers, to help a balanced Michigan State beat a game but ultimately undermanned Northwestern squad 66-56 on Saturday afternoon.
Paul Davis scored 15 points, while Maurice Ager had 11 off the bench and Alan Anderson added 12 points and six assists for the Big Ten-leading Spartans (15-9, 10-3), who began the season ranked No. 3 nationally before struggling with a 5-7 start against a brutal non-conference schedule.
Northwestern senior Jitim Young had another impressive performance, topping all scorers with 25 points, but was the only player in double figures for the Wildcats (11-12, 6-6). Young was 9-for-14 from the field and also had four steals.
Michigan State worked the ball inside, then back out against Northwestern's zone and was 9-for-18 from 3-point range (the Wildcats, by comparison, were 2-of-16 beyond the arc). The Spartans also forced 14 turnovers to offset a rebounding advantage by the 'Cats (26-24).
It was the 10th win in the last 12 games for Michigan State, which could lock up a fifth league title in seven years with wins at Michigan and Penn State and a victory over visiting Wisconsin.
The Spartans led 30-26 at halftime after building a 28-18 cushion. Michigan State had nine steals in the first 20 minutes to gain that advantage.
With Ager hitting 3-pointers from each corner, the Spartans stretched their lead to 51-37 with a 16-5 run. Northwestern answered with six straight points, cutting the lead to eight when Young scored on a layup. Young then came up with a steal, and NU had a chance to cut it to five when Mohamed Hachad went up for a three-pointer. However, his shot was off the mark, and MSU came back down to put the lead in double digits on a Davis bucket.
Northwestern again answered, this time on a layup by Vedran Vukusic, but after working the shot clock down to its very end Hill drained a trey from the left corner that seemed to serve as the knockout blow with just under six minutes to play -- the Wildcats never got inside of double digits again.
Hachad and Vukusic had eight points apiece for NU, which is next in action Wednesday when it hosts Indiana at 8 p.m. CST.
