MADISON, Wis. -- Redshirt freshman forward Ethan Happ drained a game-winning, reverse layup with 10.2 seconds left as Wisconsin stunned No. 4 Michigan State with a 77-76 Big Ten Conference win on Sunday at the Kohl Center.
Junior guard Bronson Koenig scored a career-high 27 points on 8 of 16 shooting to help the Badgers (10-9, 2-4 Big Ten) snap a three-game losing streak. Junior forward Nigel Hayes added 25 points and seven rebounds.
Senior guard Denzel Valentine missed a 3-pointer and senior forward Matt Costello's desperation shot clanked off the rim, sending Michigan State to its second straight loss.
Koenig, who missed practice with a bruised knee in days before the game, drilled a 3-pointer with 28 seconds to go -- with Valentine in his face -- that cut the Spartans' lead to 76-75. Koenig shot 8-of-15 from the field and made all seven of his foul shots.
"Koenig is a Spartan killer," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said of the standout, who scored 19 points last year in Wisconsin's Big Ten championship win against the Spartans.
"(Matt McQuaid), a freshman, came in today and did a better job than my upperclassmen did. He made some big shots, and they made a lot of free throws, and that was the difference in the game."
Happ, who finished with 14 points, had eight rebounds.
The win on their home court was a satisfying one for Wisconsin, but Hayes said there was a tinge of disappointment for the Badgers, who lost on a buzzer-beating, 3-point shot by Maryland's Melo Trimble 63-60 on Jan. 9.
"There's joy but also frustration but I hope the guys can see we're capable of beating the (No.) 4 and 5 team in the country, which means these losses we had before are inexcusable," Hayes said. "If we played the way we were supposed to be playing, those are wins we should have back."
Valentine scored a team-high 23 points for Michigan State (16-3, 3-3), which has lost two consecutive games.
Wisconsin shot 80.6 percent (29 of 36) from the free-throw line, with Hayes shooting 9-of-10 and Happ finishing 8-of-13 overall from the charity stripe.
Michigan finished 12-of-15 from the line, which didn't please coach Tom Izzo, who said the Spartans failed to execute in many aspects.
Izzo said he wasn't going to complain about officiating with regard to fouls. "That had nothing to do with missing the five or six lay ups that we missed. Hard to condemn anything else or anybody else. We had our chances, but we missed layup after layup after layup."
Senior guard Matt Costello contributed 18 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for the Spartans.
Valentine, a preseason player of the year candidate who returned three games ago from a left knee injury, was held scoreless a majority of the first half. Valentine missed five shot attempts, then drained three 3-pointers with his next three tries and scored 11 points over the final 6:38 of the first.
Koenig scored 15 first-half points and Hayes contributed 12 points and five rebounds as the Badgers took a 41-36 lead into intermission.
Wisconsin closed the first half with a 10-0 run that included 8-of-9 shooting from the foul line.
Izzo retooled the Spartans' starting lineup after the team's 16-point home loss to Iowa three days ago. On Sunday at Wisconsin, redshirt junior guard Eron Harris and freshman forward Deyonta Davis got starting nods instead of of senior guard Bryn Forbes and junior forward Gavin Schilling.
In addition, McQuaid got his first career start at point guard in place of sophomore Tum Tum Nairn Jr., who did not dress for the game and had a boot on his right foot.
Harris made an impact with 11 points in the first for Michigan State. He finished with 14 points.
The Spartans stayed in contention with critical runs, including a 12-2 run to open the second half, with six points from Costello that put Michigan State on top 48-43 with 15:41 to go.
The Badgers entered Sunday's game with a 2-7 record in games decided by six points or less. Wisconsin interim coach Greg Gard said the leadership the team's received from Koenig and Hayes has been exceptional. Gard took the team over when Bo Ryan announced his retirement on Dec. 15.
They're in a position where they've never not had any seniors on the court," Gard said of the pair. "Their roles and identities have changed for them, and that's been a whole season thing, but I'm happy with whole they've handled the locker room."
NOTES: Wisconsin has won 11 of the last 13 games against Michigan State at the Kohl Center in Madison. ... Sophomore Tum Tum Nairn Jr., the Spartans only true point guard, had a boot on his right foot and didn't play. Nairn had logged 34 straight starts and averaged 4.5 assists per game. Spartans coach Tom Izzo said during a pre-game radio interview that Nairn would be out at least two weeks with plantar fasciitis. ... Wisconsin entered the game with four Big Ten losses, losing those games by a combined nine points.
