No. 6 Michigan State survives Minnesota, 65-64
(AP) — Kalin Lucas scored 22 points, Raymar Morgan added 17 and No. 6 Michigan State rallied to beat short-handed Minnesota 65-64 on Saturday in a game the Spartans never led until the final minutes.
The Spartans (17-3) have won eight straight overall and matched their best start in the Big Ten since also starting 7-0 during the 1977-78 season.
Lucas hit a 3-pointer with 1:27 left to break a 62-all tie, and Minnesota answered with a basket by Damien Johnson to trim the lead to one. The Gophers denied Chris Allen a runner on defense, grabbed possession and called timeout with 14.7 seconds left.
After setting up a play, Lawrence Westbrook unloaded in the lane with 3 seconds left. His contested shot came up short, and Blake Hoffarber's tip at the buzzer bounced off the backboard as the Spartans streamed off their bench and onto the court.
Westbrook and Devoe Joseph led the Gophers (12-7, 3-4) with 16 points each, and Westbrook became the 35th Minnesota player to reach 1,000 points.
Joseph was playing for regular starting point guard Al Nolen, who was ruled academically ineligible earlier this week.
Minnesota hoped to contend for a Big Ten title and make a run in the NCAA tournament this season, but off-court issues have gotten in the way. Top recruits Royce White and Trevor Mbakwe have been suspended the entire season because of legal issues, making the departure of Nolen that much harder to overcome.
White, Mbakwe and Nolen all were in street clothes on the Gophers bench.
The Spartans have won 10 of their last 11 road games, but needed to warm up after a poor first half to keep the streak going. They were held to 26 points on 28.6 percent shooting.
Lucas hit all four of his shots in the second half, including the go-ahead a 3-pointer with 5 minutes left that cut the lead to two and the go-ahead 3 with 1:27 left.
Morgan tied the game with two free throws with 2:24 to play.
Minnesota scored only six points in the final seven minutes in losing its third straight, with an overtime loss to Indiana sandwiched between two losses to Michigan St.
