 rallied to win after trailing by 12 with 15:23 left after coming back from 13-point deficit to win their previous game at Maryland. Cassius Winston made a go-ahead layup midway through the second half and Michigan State led by as much as 15. The Nittany Lions (15-9, 5-6) had won two straight, including a buzzer-beater at Ohio State, and they didn't give up their winning streak easily. They went on an 11-2 run to pull within six points with 37 seconds left after Carr made consecutive 3-pointers in 6 seconds. Carr just missed a 3-pointer with 19 seconds. Joshua Langford made two free throws to seal the victory and finished with 14 points. Winston had 15 points and 10 assists for the Spartans, who have won five straight. Penn State's Tony Carr scored 28, and Lamar Stevens had 18 points. BIG PICTUREPenn State: Carr is showing he can make shots all over the court no matter who he's facing, but the Nittany Lions have to give him more help. Stevens was his only teammate in double figures. Carr had 28 points in last week's win at Ohio State and is averaging 19-plus points a game even though every team is trying to slow him down. Entering the game, the Nittany Lions had five players averaging in double-digits. Michigan State: The crisis on campus related to Larry Nassar and an ESPN report isn't going away and the Spartans know it. Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo wore a teal ribbon on the left lapel of his suit and his players wore the same ribbon over their hearts on their pullovers, honoring survivors of sexual violence. Nassar, a former doctor at the school, has been sentenced to decades in prison for sexually abusing young girls and women. ESPN has detailed various allegations involving Michigan State football and basketball players, putting Izzo in awkward situations during postgame news conferences. UP NEXTPenn State: Hosts Iowa on Saturday night. Michigan State: Plays at Indiana on Saturday night, one of five road games in a seven-game stretch to close the regular season.---More college basketball: https://collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/-Top25)
Time: 6:30 PM EST Michigan State's basketball team has been enveloped in controversy lately, but it hasn't hurt the Spartans in the win-loss column. Despite reports of misconduct by past players, which has created a firestorm around coach Tom Izzo and his program, the Spartans carry a four-game winning streak into their home game against Penn State on Wednesday. The fifth-ranked Spartans rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to defeat Maryland 74-68 on the road Sunday. They were able to overcome a subpar shooting day from their top player, sophomore forward Miles Bridges, who scored 11 points on 3-of-13 shooting." Miles had a rough day but he had a big block late, made a couple of big plays, hit a big free throw," Izzo said. "I was proud of the way my team played." The Spartans' rally was sparked by three other starters. Joshua Langford scored 19 points, Cassius Winston had 13 points and five assists and freshman Jaren Jackson Jr. added 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocks." Those two guys (Winston and Jackson) kind of brought us back and the unsung hero was probably Josh Langford," Izzo said. Izzo admits the distractions have affected the team but he doesn't want his players to block them out of their minds." My message before the game, at halftime and after the game, was continue to realize that there's people that have gone through a lot," he said. "They get an opportunity to help the healing process a little bit." Michigan State (20-3, 8-2 Big Ten) has a 13-1 home record this season. Following the matchup with the Nittany Lions, the Spartans play five of their remaining seven regular-season games on the road. Penn State upset the Spartans 72-63 during conference play last season. Michigan State avenged that loss with a 78-51 thrashing in the Big Ten tournament. The Nittany Lions (15-8, 5-5) could greatly enhance their NCAA Tournament resume with a victory Wednesday. Their confidence will be high heading to the Breslin Center after defeating No. 13 Ohio State on the road 82-79 and thumping Rutgers at home 60-43. Their defense was outstanding against the Scarlet Knights, holding the visitors to 31.4 percent shooting and forcing 16 turnovers. Michigan State will be the toughest challenge the Nittany Lions have encountered this season." They're the No. 1 shot-blocking team in the Big Ten. Their defense is outstanding, their rebounding is outstanding," Penn State coach Pat Chambers told 247Sports.com. "So it's not just Bridges." Chambers views the win over the Spartans last season as a turning point in his program." Definitely winning that game at the Palestra has given us confidence that we can beat a lot of teams in this league," Chambers told 247Sports.com. "There's a faith, there's a belief in one another that we can beat anybody on any given night." Penn State has five players averaging double figures in points, led by sophomore guard Tony Carr (19.2 points per game, 4.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists). Carr averaged 22.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in its last two outings.
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