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No. 6/7 MICHIGAN STATE 88, PENN STATE 57
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Feb. 28, 2016
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Penn State men's basketball lost its final Big Ten road game of the season, falling to No. 6/7 Michigan State 88-57, Sunday afternoon in East Lansing.
The Spartans (24-5, 11-5 Big Ten) have won four straight and eight of nine, outscoring teams by 21-plus points in those victories and losing only to then-No. 18 Purdue by one point in overtime on the road during the stretch.
''I think we've got a chance to make a run,'' Izzo said.
Penn State had been on a relatively successful run recently.
The Nittany Lions (15-14, 6-10) had won three straight and four of five, including victories over then-No. 4 Iowa and then-No. 22 Indiana.
''We were hopeful to put up a fight at least,'' Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said. ''And, we didn't do that.''
Chambers did his part by being feisty.
He was ejected with 4:53 left in the first half when he was called for two technical fouls within the same rant. Chambers had to be held back by his coaching staff, two assistants at one point, as he tried to charge toward officials more than once before leaving the court. After Chambers was ejected, he started to gather his team for some parting thoughts before he tried to go back at the officials.
''We're trying to buck the system of being the brunt of everybody's jokes,'' Chambers said. ''So we're going to fight, players are going to fight.''
After the Spartans' miss-filled start, they connected on 14 of 18 shots.
''We played hard with energy and effort,'' Valentine said.
Despite making just 37 percent in the second half, they easily maintained their comfortable cushion.
''Michigan State is playing at an incredible level,'' Chambers said.
Michigan State's Deyonta Davis and Bryn Forbes scored 15 points each and Matt Costello had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Shep Garner had 22 points and Devin Foster scored 11 for the Nittany Lions during a game in which their respect for Chambers grew.
''I love it when Coach comes out and battles for us,'' Garner said. ''That's what he does. He puts his neck on the line.''
UP NEXT
Penn State returns home from the road to close out the Big Ten portion of the schedule with a pair of games in the BJC, marking the first back-to-back home contests on the league schedule since the first two Jan. 5 and 10. The Nittany Lions host Northwestern on senior night at 9 p.m. Thursday on ESPNU.