WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Ryan Cline scored 17 points and Purdue fended off a furious charge by No. 6 Michigan State, holding on for a 73-63 win Sunday.
Trailing by 23 with under 13 1/2 minutes left, Michigan State (18-3, 9-1 Big Ten) got within four points before falling short.
Carsen Edwards added 14 as the Boilermakers (14-6, 7-2) won their fourth in a row. They’ve taken 12 straight at home.
Cassius Winston finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and eight assists to lead the Spartans, who had won 13 in a row. Matt McQuaid had 12 points as Michigan State had a pair of school record streaks also end -- a 21-game winning streak against conference foes and a 12-game road winning streak in league play.
The Boilermakers won by following Michigan State’s traditional script -- playing better defense, winning the rebound battle and repeatedly grabbing loose balls.
While Purdue never trailed, the Spartans made things interesting after falling into a 19-6 deficit early and being down by as much as 55-32 with 13:16 remaining.
The Spartans forced eight consecutive missed shots and used that drought to go on a 24-5 run that cut the Boilermakers’ lead to 60-56 with 5:14 left.
But Cline answered with a 3 for the Boilermakers, Edwards made three free throws and Nojel Eastern scored on a 5-foot runner to rebuild a 65-58 lead. Eastern sealed the victory by making six straight free throws to give Purdue a 71-60 lead.
BIG PICTURE
Michigan State: Despite shooting poorly and getting beat at their own game, the Spartans showed why they are one of America’s best teams. Sure, they’re now tied with Michigan for the conference lead. And yes, they’ll fall in the polls after this loss but it shouldn’t be a precipitous drop.
Purdue: The Boilermakers have been playing good basketball for a while -- and now they have the signature win they needed to seal the perception. By getting key contributions out of Edwards’ supporting cast, they moved within a game of the Big Ten lead and should reappear in the Top 25 soon.
STAT PACK
Michigan State: Suffered its first loss in 61 days after posting an average victory margin of 16.8 points. ... The Spartans scored 19 points in the first half, surpassing their previous low mark for scoring in a half. They had 28 points in the second half at Florida on Dec. 8 and were averaging 83.8 points this season. ... Michigan State shot 39.3 percent from the field was 9 of 26 on 3s.
Purdue: The Boilermakers have 12 wins against top 10 teams at Mackey Arena, seven have come against Michigan State. ... Purdue is 50-2 in its last 52 home games. ... Eastern finished with 12 points, Aaron Wheeler had 11 and Matt Haarms scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds. ... Edwards also had four rebounds, three assists and three steals. ... Purdue had a 42-33 rebounding edge including 16-9 on the offensive end. ... The Boilermakers were 12 of 28 on 3s, getting five from Cline and three from Wheeler.