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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 6 Michigan State shot nearly 49 percent from the field and crashed the boards for a plus 13-rebound margin en route to a 71-56 win in the Bryce Jordan Center Sunday afternoon. Led by junior forward Lamar Stevens with a game-high 20 points, the Penn State men's basketball team had four Nittany Lions in double figures in the scoring column, but couldn't overcome poor shooting in the first half.
"Michigan State is a really good team and they played really well even without two of their starters," said Penn State men's basketball coach Patrick Chambers. "I knew it was going to be difficult for us with this stretch that we have had. With Wisconsin, Nebraska and now this game, we have played a difficult schedule up to this point and hopefully we just continue to grow… I challenged our guys to win the second half and they did that. This is definitely a new experience for this group. We have young guys and we have older guys and we've got to bring it all together. We just haven't brought it all together yet."
The Spartans strong first half in field goal percentage paired with their prowess on the glass kept them in control. Redshirt junior Mike Watkins had nine points to pace the Nittany Lions on 4-6 shooting from the field in the first 20 minutes and he pulled down a team-best four rebounds at the break.
Stevens scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half and Josh Reaves had nine of his 11 in the second period as the Nittany Lions outscsored Michigan State 32-31 in the period. For Stevens, it was his 23rd career game with 20 or more points and 24th-straight game with double-figure points. Reaves distributed the ball exceptionally well with a career-best nine assists and he finished the night with a season-best five steals.
The Nittany Lions' shooting improved in the second half to 42.9 percent and was 10-19 from inside the arc (52.6 percent). Stevens, who went to the bench with two fouls in the first half, connected on six of his 12 attempts in the final 20 minutes, including a 3-pointer, and was 3-3 from the free throw line. He added six rebounds to his stat line.
Stevens hit a jumper to tie the game at 10 at 15:59 in the first half, but Michigan State ran off 10-straight points in a four-and-a-half minute stretch to pull to 20-10. The Spartans shot 51.9 percent in the first period to take a 40-24 lead.
Penn State scored 18 points off 17 Michigan State miscues, tied for the highest turnover total the Spartans had in Big Ten play this season. The Nittany Lions snatched seven of their eight steals in the second half with Reaves posting a season-high five.
Freshman Kyle McCloskey, seeing extended action in the game vs. Michigan State with a career-high 18 minutes, drew two offensive fouls and had three rebounds.
Spartan forward Nick Ward led Michigan State with 16 points and 11 rebounds after a 12-point, nine-rebound first half. Matt McQuaid hit four 3-pointers and three free throws for his 15 points. Cassius Winston had 11 points and six assists for the game. Kenny Goins combined with Ward for 21 of the Spartans' 41 rebounds with his 10 boards.
The Nittany Lions continue their homestand against Iowa on Wednesday, Jan. 16 with a 7 p.m. tipoff against the Hawkeyes in the Bryce Jordan Center. BTNThe game will be broadcast on BTN.
For information or to purchase Penn State men's single-game tickets, visit GoPSUsports.com/mbbsinglegametix or call 1-800-NITTANY, weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
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