EAST LANSING, Mich., March 7 (UPI) -- Keith Appling paced Michigan State with 19 points Thursday and the No. 12 Spartans clamped down defensively to defeat 21st-ranked Wisconsin 58-43.
Michigan State kept alive its hopes for a share of the Big Ten Conference title, moving into a tie for second place with Michigan and Ohio State. Indiana leads those three by a game with one to play in the regular season.
The Spartans had lost three in a row coming into this contest, all of them to ranked opponents.
Michigan State held Wisconsin to 29 percent shooting with the Badgers making only 15 field goals for the entire game. Gary Harris was the lone player other than Appling to reach double figures for Michigan State, scoring 11 points while going just 5-of-14 from the field.
The Spartans improved to 23-7 for the season and to 12-5 in the Big Ten. To share the league crown, Michigan State must defeat Northwestern Saturday while Michigan must win in its showdown with Indiana.
Wisconsin (20-9, 11-5) was led by Ben Brust with 10 points. The Badgers went 7 minutes early in the second half without scoring and finished with their lowest point total of the season.
