(East Lansing) – The MSU Spartans returned to familiar form on Saturday by wearing
down the Boilermakers and making the big plays to earn the 69-61 victory.
The Spartans (16-11 overall, 8-6 Big Ten) resembled the same style of play that earned
them four consecutive Big Ten titles from 1998 through 2001.
The Spartans outrebounded, made their free throws and played outstanding defense to
give Purdue its third loss in four games. With the loss, Purdue drops to 17-9 overall and
9-6 in the Big Ten.
After going more than seven minutes without a point to start the second half, MSU got
it rolling by hitting eight consecutive shots. The Boilermakers built a 40-32 lead, before
a 13-2 run put MSU in front to stay.
The Spartans leading scorer, sophomore guard Chris Hill, was held scoreless for the
first 30 minutes of the game and was a big reason for MSU’s offensive charge. Hill
knocked down a 3-point shot and sank four free throws in the latter stages of the game.
Hill finished with 9 points.
MSU, once again, had a great day from the charity stripe. The Spartans knocked down
26-of-28 from the free-throw line to secure the victory. On Wednesday night MSU sank
31-of-40 against Minnesota
Sophomore guard Kelvin Torbert led the Spartans in scoring with 14 points, with 11 of
those coming in the first half. Sophomore forward Alan Anderson poured in 12 points.
The Boilermakers were led by guard Willie Deane who finished with 17 points.
The Spartans and the Boilermakers both used big runs in the first half to make it a
32-32 tie at half
Purdue used a 9-0 run to take a 13-6 run in the first five minutes of the game. The
Boilermakers extended the lead to 26-16, before MSU would make its run.
MSU closed out the first half on a 16-6 run, thanks to a great performance from Torbert
and some nice shooting from the free-throw line.
The Boilermakers used defensive pressure to force MSU into turnovers, which led to 10
points in transition. Guard Willie Deane and forward Ivan Kartelo each scored 8 points to
lead Purdue.
The Spartans will conclude their three-game homestand with a Wednesday night game
against Iowa.