College basketball: Northwestern upsets No. 4 Michigan State

Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Unranked Northwestern pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the young college basketball season with a 14-point triumph over No. 4 Michigan State.

Sophomore guard Boo Buie scored a career-high 30 points in the 79-65 win on Sunday in Evanston, Ill. Pete Nance chipped in 15 points, 12 rebounds and four assists for the Wildcats (4-1).

"We just go out and we play hard and listen to the coach and lock in," Buie told reporters. "Whoever's night it is, we try to get them the ball."

The Spartans (6-1) -- ranked No. 4 in the coaches poll -- shot just 38.8% from the field. The unranked Wildcats shot at a 52.9% clip and made 47.6% of their 3-point attempts.

"It was one of the more inept performances of my 26 years,'' Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "It's kind of a harsh statement.

"I'm blaming myself. I'm the one that has to have my team ready.''

Michigan State scored the first four points of the game before Northwestern snatched back momentum with an 11-0 run. The Wildcats continued with additional runs at the end of the first frame and took a 43-30 lead at halftime on a Nance 3-pointer.

The Spartans cut the Wildcats lead to 10 points in the second half, but could not get closer. Buie scored 16 points in the second half to help the Wildcats secure the upset.

Junior forward Aaron Henry led the Spartans with 11 points. Gabe Brown and Malik Hall chipped in 10 points apiece in the loss.

Ty Berry scored 12 points off the bench for the Wildcats.

"I'm just really proud of their resolve," Northwestern coach Chris Collins said of his players. "We you come out and put it together against a terrific team like Michigan State. They see that they can do it."

Michigan State battles Wisconsin at 1:30 p.m. EST on Friday at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich. Northwestern faces Indiana at 8:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind.