The Michigan State Spartans have seen too many games come down to the wire, with four of their five losses being decided in the last minute of play.

The Spartans were 14-point favorites in the game, but you wouldn’t know it by how the game played out.

As the game wound down, it looked like the Spartans could very well end up on the wrong side of another close game. As a Tre Demps jumper missed at the end of regulation, Spartan fans breathed a sigh of relief.

Michigan State used a big push in overtime to knock off the pesky Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday afternoon, escaping with a hard-fought 84 – 77 victory.

In the opening minutes of the game, the Spartans looked like they were going to run away with the game. The Spartans opened with a 9 – 0 run, capped off by a couple of jumpers from Branden Dawson and Travis Trice.

The Wildcats were held off the score sheet until coming out of the first media timeout, when JerShon Cobb would make a jumper at the 15:31 mark to get Northwestern on the board.

Cobb would be responsible for 10 of Northwestern’s first 12 points in the game.

After the second media timeout of the first half, Bryn Forbes would make six straight points for the Spartans, to stretch the lead to 23 – 9.

Just when it looked like Michigan State was going to run away with the game, the Wildcats came storming back.

Bryant McIntosh and Nathan Taphorn would get hot from the field for the Wildcats, both making three pointers to tie the game up at 30 – all. Back-to-back jumpers from Alex Olah would give Northwestern their first lead of the game, at 34 – 32.

The teams would go back and forth over the remaining three minutes in the first half, with Northwestern holding a slim two-point lead for the majority of it. Travis Trice would make two costless throws with 3 seconds to go to tie the game for the Spartans.

The score as all tied up at 40 – all at the end of the first half.

As the second half opened up, both teams would trade baskets over the first seven minutes of action. Neither team could gain any separation from the other, as the largest lead for either team was 4 points in favour of the Wildcats.

A Taphorn three pointer gave the Wildcats the 53 – 49 lead, but a Branden Dawson dunk brought the Spartans back to within 1, capitalizing on a Jeremiah Kreisberg turnover.

After the Taphorn three pointer, the Spartans would go on a 17 – 2 run to take an 11-point lead with just under 7 minutes to play. A Gavin Schilling jumper at the 7:02 mark sent the Breslin Center crowd into a frenzy, but Northwestern wasn’t fazed one bit.

Tre Demps would make 7 straight points for the Wildcats, and suddenly it was just a 6 point game. Back-to-back three pointers from Vic Law and Demps, on consecutive possessions for the Wildcats, gave Northwestern the 70 – 68 lead.

Strong costless throw shooting in the final minute for the Spartans, capped off by two costless throws from Travis Trice with just 19 seconds left on the clock, tied the game at 72. Tre Demps had a good look at a game-winning three pointer, but it clanked off the rim and the game was off to overtime.

At the end of regulation, the score was 72 – 72.

In the overtime session, Michigan State opened on an 8 – 0 run, holding Northwestern off of the scoreboard for over 4 minutes of action. Trice made four straight points for the Spartans to give them the big lead.

Tre Demps made another three pointer, to get the Wildcats to within 5, but Sparty was in a groove and couldn’t be stopped.

Strong costless throw shooting in overtime, and a fast break dunk from Branden Dawson signalled the end for the Wildcats’ upset bid.

The Spartans held on down the stretch, and scored the 84 – 77 victory. The win was Michigan State’s third straight in conference play, while the loss was the second straight for Northwestern.

Freshman guard Bryant McIntosh has a big game for the Wildcats in the loss. McIntosh led all Wildcat scorers with 18 point, on 6-of-16 shooting from the floor. Tre Demps had a quiet first half, but scored 17 points in the game.

JerShon Cobb scored all 12 of his points in the first half, finishing a perfect 5-of-5 on the day.

For the Spartans, five different players scored in double-figures in the win. Travis Trice recorded a double-double of 18 points and 10 assists to guide the Spartans to the win. What makes his game even more impressive is the fact that he only committed 1 turnover in the game.

Denzel Valentine added in 17 points, while Branden Dawson added in 13 points and 9 rebounds in the victory.

The Northwestern Wildcats (10 – 6, 1 – 2) have now suffered back-to-back losses in conference play, but have to feel confident after their performance on Sunday. Up next for the Wildcats is a home date with the Illinois Fighting Illini.

After a sub-par start to the year, the Michigan State Spartans (12 – 5, 3 – 1) have reeled off three straight conference wins and appear to have turned a corner on the season. Up next for the green and white is a road date with Maryland, as they look to avenge their overtime loss to the Terrapins in the Big Ten opener.

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About the author
Tyler Bennett
I am a Canadian who writes about U.S. college sports...ironic, right? With an undergrad degree in Sport Management, I thought it was only fitting that I write about sports. As a Canadian, I spell words funny, use eh excessively, and apologize profusely, so I am sorry in advance.