Michigan State University
Northern Michigan (Exh.)
Michigan State Defeats Northern Michigan In Exhibition Play
11/12/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 12, 2005
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EAST LANSING, Mich. -
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Maurice Ager had 25 points and No. 4 Michigan State struggled to beat Northern Michigan 77-58 Saturday night in the Spartans' second exhibition game.
Shannon Brown added 17 points for Michigan State despite missing all five of his shots from the field in the first half and committing five turnovers.
Drew Neitzel and Goran Suton each had 10 points for the Spartans.
After a 101-56 loss at Michigan on Friday night, the Wildcats were more than competitive in a surprising first 20 minutes. Michigan State wasn't nearly as sharp against coach Tom Izzo's alma mater as it was in Monday's 107-73 win over Lake Superior State.
The Spartans led just 31-26 with less than two minutes left in the half, 37-28 at the break and 46-37 with 13:39 remaining.
Northern Michigan switched defenses and disrupted Michigan State's flow all night as the Spartans committed 26 turnovers, two more than the Wildcats.
Nick Buck had 18 points for Northern Michigan, which could have provided a greater scare if not for a poor shooting first half (30.8 percent).
Michigan State shot 48.1 percent from the field and had a 42-30 rebound advantage.
The Spartans will open the regular season at Hawaii on Saturday, then move on to the Maui Invitational.
