Frankie Fidler had a season-high 18 points to go with seven rebounds and four steals as No. 12 Michigan State extended its winning streak to 10 games with a 90-85 victory over Penn State in a Big Ten game on Wednesday in East Lansing, Mich.
Jaden Akins supplied 16 points for the Spartans (15-2, 6-0 Big Ten). Tre Holloman added 10 points and six assists for Michigan State, which turned 14 Penn State turnovers into 27 points.
Ace Baldwin Jr. led the Nittany Lions (12-6, 2-5), losers of four straight games, with 20 points and nine assists. D’Marco Dunn had 18 points and Zach Hicks added 14.
All 10 players that Michigan State coach Tom Izzo used in the first half scored and all but one recorded an assist as it built a 46-36 halftime lead. Coen Carr led the way with nine points, while Dunn paced the Nittany Lions with 10.
The Spartans notched a double-digit lead at 23-13 on Fidler’s putback. After Penn State pulled within five points, the Spartans reeled off six straight points. Szymon Zapala scored four of them on free throws, and Akins completed the spurt with a fast-break layup.
Dunn and Baldwin made consecutive 3-pointers to cut Michigan State’s advantage to five again. The Spartans took their biggest lead of the half at 44-32 on Carr’s layup after a Fidler steal.
Penn State opened the second half with an 8-0 run, capped by Dunn’s 3-pointer, to pull within two points. However, Michigan State continued to hold the advantage. Fidler pushed it to seven at 58-51 on a 3-pointer with 14:41 remaining.
The lead grew to nine, 64-55, on a Jaxon Kohler layup after another Nittany Lions turnover. A 7-2 Penn State spurt featuring five points from Nick Kern cut the Spartans’ lead to four, but Michigan State answered with a 6-0 run for a 72-62 lead. Akins capped it with a 3-pointer.
Penn State still hung round and cut the Spartans’ lead to 79-76 on a Hicks 3-pointer. Fidler answered with a three-point play and the Nittany Lions never came closer than four points again.
–Field Level Media
