Jase Richardson led a balanced attack with 12 points as No. 14 Michigan State defeated No. 13 Purdue 75-66 in a pivotal Big Ten matchup in East Lansing, Mich., on Tuesday.
Frankie Fidler had 11 points, while Jaden Akins and Coen Carr supplied 10 apiece for the Spartans (21-5, 12-3 Big Ten).
Trey Kaufman-Renn led the Boilermakers (19-8, 11-5) with 24 points and Braden Smith tossed in 17 and had eight assists. Purdue has lost three straight.
The Spartans emerged from the first half with a 33-31 lead. Richardson led the way with 10 points, while Smith topped the Boilermakers with nine.
Neither side had a lead of more than three points until a 12-4 run gave Purdue a 21-14 advantage. Kaufman-Renn got it started with four consecutive points.
His hook shot with 4:26 left in the half made it 26-20. The Spartans then reeled off 10 consecutive points, including two free throws and a dunk from Carr. Jaxon Kohler finished it off with a layup. A 3-pointer by Fletcher Loyer halted the run.
Michigan State took a 10-point lead by scoring the first eight points of the second half. Richardson started it off with a dunk and Kohler hit a 3-pointer. Szymon Zapala finished it off with a three-point play.
Purdue ended that run on Camden Heide’s 3-pointer. A bucket by Kaufman-Renn with 14:27 left cut Michigan State’s lead to 45-39.
The Spartans then scored the next seven points with the aid of two Purdue turnovers. Fidler made a 3-pointer, then stole the ball and dunked. Fidler stole the ball again on the Boilermakers’ next possession and fed Carr for a dunk.
The Boilermakers rallied to cut the Spartans’ advantage to six on another Heide 3-pointer midway through the half. Michigan State’s lead fluctuated between six and nine points until Kaufman-Renn’s layup with three minutes left made it 63-59.
That’s as close as Purdue got. The Spartans finished the contest on a 10-5 run, including six Akins points.
–Field Level Media
