Travis Trice finished with 27 points and six assists as the Michigan State Spartans downed the Purdue Boilermakers, 72-66, in a Big Ten Conference matchup at the Breslin Center.
Denzel Valentine contributed 17 points and six rebounds for the Spartans (20-10, 11-6 Big Ten), who snapped a two-game losing streak with the decision. Matt Costello provided a spark off the bench with 13 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots in 25 minutes.
Kendall Stephens paced Purdue (19-11, 11-6) with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor. Dakota Mathias chipped in 12 points, while Jon Octeus tallied 11 points and five assists. The loss was the second in a row for the Boilermakers, who will close out their regular season slate at home versus Illinois on Saturday.
Purdue took a 30-27 lead into the intermission after it knocked down 4-of-9 tries from 3-point range in the opening stanza. The Spartans were limited to 37 percent efficiency from the floor in the first half. The Boilermakers led, 30-21, with 1:11 remaining before the break, but MSU narrowed the gap with back-to-back makes from beyond the arc.
The Spartans led for the final 17:11 of regulation as they outscored Purdue, 14-4, at the free-throw line in the second period. The Boilermakers failed to register any points off turnovers, and allowed 14 to MSU after the break.
The Spartans outscored the visitors, 19-0, in fast break points. MSU will play its regular season finale at Indiana on Saturday.
[SportsNetwork.com]
