Northwestern Wildcats at Michigan State Spartans
· NCAA Men's Basketball
No. 12 Michigan State rallies in the 2nd half to beat Northwestern 76-66
Jaxon Kohler added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Spartans (14-2, 4-1 Big Ten), who trailed by seven at halftime and eight in the second half before rallying to win for the sixth time in seven games.
The Wildcats (8-7, 0-4) lost their lead because they left Kohler open on the 3-point line, and they couldn't keep Michigan State off the boards or slow down Fears offensively.
Kohler’s 3-pointer gave the Spartans a 46-45 lead midway through the second half. The senior forward made another 3 — after teammates grabbed two offensive rebounds on one possession — to put Michigan State ahead by eight with 6:37 left.
The Wildcats pulled within two with 2:04 to go, but Fears hit a layup and Coen Carr had a dunk to seal the win.
Nick Martinelli scored 28 for Northwestern — but didn't get much help as the team's only scorer in double digits. Tyler Kropp had nine points off the bench, and Jayden Reid added eight points (on 3-for-14 shooting), eight assists and four steals.
Carr scored eight points, including another highlight-reel dunk, as one of seven Spartans with at least six.
Michigan State outrebounded the Wildcats 42-25, leading to 16 second-chance points.
MSU missed almost half its free throws in the first half and committed eight turnovers. In the second half, coach Tom Izzo's team was much better at the line — making 17 of 22 — but had another seven turnovers.
Michigan State hosts Indiana on Tuesday.
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Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 66 - 76 |
| 2nd 0:00 | End of 2nd half | 66 - 76 |
| 2nd 0:01 | Carson Cooper makes free throw 2 of 2 | 66 - 76 |
| 2nd 0:01 | Carson Cooper makes free throw 1 of 2 | 66 - 75 |
| 2nd 0:01 | Foul on Justin Mullins. | 66 - 74 |
Statistics
 NU |
 MSU |
|
|---|---|---|
| 22-58 | FG | 24-49 |
| 38 | Field Goal % | 49 |
| 6-26 | 3PT | 5-18 |
| 23 | Three Point % | 28 |
| 16-20 | FT | 23-33 |
| 80 | Free Throw % | 70 |
| 25 | Rebounds | 42 |
| 8 | Offensive Rebounds | 11 |
| 17 | Defensive Rebounds | 31 |
| 14 | Assists | 17 |
| 9 | Steals | 3 |
| 2 | Blocks | 2 |
| 6 | Turnovers | 15 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 3 |
| 6 | Total Turnovers | 15 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 17 | Points Off Turnovers | 13 |
| 19 | Fast Break Points | 15 |
| 30 | Points in Paint | 32 |
| 24 | Fouls | 15 |
| 8 | Largest Lead | 10 |
| 10 | Lead Changes | 10 |
| 46 | Percent Led | 45 |
Game Information
Location: East Lansing, MI
Attendance: 14,797 | Capacity:
2025-26 Big Ten Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | 7-0 | - | 18-0 |
| Purdue | 7-0 | - | 17-1 |
| Michigan | 6-1 | 1 | 16-1 |
| Michigan State | 6-1 | 1 | 16-2 |
| Illinois | 6-1 | 1 | 15-3 |
| Wisconsin | 5-2 | 2 | 13-5 |
| Ohio State | 4-3 | 3 | 12-5 |
| UCLA | 4-3 | 3 | 12-6 |
| USC | 3-4 | 4 | 14-4 |
| Iowa | 3-4 | 4 | 13-5 |
| Indiana | 3-4 | 4 | 12-6 |
| Minnesota | 3-4 | 4 | 10-8 |
| Washington | 2-5 | 5 | 10-8 |
| Rutgers | 2-5 | 5 | 9-9 |
| Oregon | 1-6 | 6 | 8-10 |
| Maryland | 1-6 | 6 | 8-10 |
| Penn State | 0-7 | 7 | 9-9 |
| Northwestern | 0-7 | 7 | 8-10 |