Spartans Fall in (Un)Happy Valley

The road to a Big Ten title got a little bit steeper for Michigan State after losing to Penn State 85-76 Saturday.

The Nittany Lions shot 30 more free throws than Michigan State and made 20 more.

The Green and White got into serious foul trouble with Raymar Morgan, Travis Walton and Goran Suton all fouling out of the game. Drew Naymick finished with four fouls.

Kalin Lucas continued a fantastic freshman season for Michigan State with a team-high 18 points and seven assists. He penetrated Penn State's zone defense throughout the evening, finishing plays and dishing to three-point land where he once found fellow freshman Durrell Summers. Summers hit 4-5 from the field and scored nine points in 12 minutes of play.

But young legs were not the answer to the resiliant Nittany Lions. Guard Stanley Pringle paced Penn State with 19 points, going 8-8 from the charity stripe. The Nittany Lions sent six men to the line for at least five free throws each and two players who shot over 10.

Michigan State, 7-2 in conference, now trails Wisconsin (7-1), who plays Sunday at Minnesota, Purdue (8-1), who beat Illinois Saturday and Indiana (6-1), who hosts Northwestern Sunday.

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