Friday, November 30
Piscataway, N.J.
6 PM ET
Michigan State University
78
at
67
Rutgers
1
2
F
Michigan St.
39
39
78
Rutgers
37
30
67
Photo by: Matthew Mitchell
Winston, Ward Help Lead Michigan State Past Rutgers, 78-67
11/30/2018 8:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Piscataway, N.J. – Junior guard Cassius Winston (Detroit, Mich./University of Detroit Jesuit) scored a game-high 22 points and junior forward Nick Ward (Gahanna, Ohio/Lincoln) scored 20 points as No. 9 Michigan State used an early second half run to pull away from Rutgers for a 78-67 win to open Big Ten Conference play at the Louis Brown Athletic Center Friday night.
Records
Michigan State, winners of six of the last seven games, improves to 6-2 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten, while Rutgers falls to 5-3 overall and 0-1 in league play.
Summary
- The Spartans led by two points, 39-37, at the break, but Rutgers took the lead back on a 3-pointer from Peter Kiss at the 18:28 mark.
- That would be the last lead for the Scarlet Knights, as Ward scored six-straight points and MSU took a 45-40 lead, forcing a timeout.
- MSU outscored Rutgers, 12-1 over a span of 5:42 and took a 51-41 lead on a free throw from junior guard Joshua Langford (Huntsville, Ala./Madison Academy) at the 13:04 mark.
- The Spartans extended their lead to 13 points, 59-46, after redshirt senior Kenny Goins (Troy, Mich./Warren Mott) hit 1-of-2 free throws with 6:31 left.
- Rutgers would narrow the gap to six points, 63-57, with 5:17 left, but an 8-0 run over a span of 1:16, capped by a Winston 3-pointer, pushed the lead to 71-57 (3:37).
- Backed by a sellout crowd, the first in 20 years at the RAC, Rutgers jumped on top on the first half and took an 18-10 lead on a 3-pointer from Kiss at the 14:46 mark.
- MSU responded with an 8-0 run and tied the game on a layup from sophomore forward Xavier Tillman (Grand Rapids, Mich./GR Catholic).
- The remainder of the half was back-and-forth, with 10 ties and five lead changes. MSU used a 9-4 burst over the final 3:04 and took a 39-37 lead into the break after a Winston layup with 18 seconds left.
- Winston and Ward led four players in double figures … Winston finished with 22 points and six assists while Ward had 20 points and five rebounds … Junior guard Joshua Langford (Huntsville, Ala./Madison Academy) added 14 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals and Tillman chipped in 11 points and eight rebounds.
- Michigan State outscored Rutgers, 38-24, in the paint, including 22-12 in the second half.
- MSU had 16 second-chance points.
- The Spartans limited Rutgers to just seven points over the opening 9:25 of the second half.
- The Spartans held a 40-36 advantage on the glass, the seventh-straight game MSU has out-rebounded its opponent.
- MSU connected on 76.0 percent of its free throws (19-of-25), including 84.6 percent (11-of-13) in the second half.
- The Spartans committed only seven turnovers, including just two in the first half.
- Michigan State is now 8-0 all-time against Rutgers, 7-0 since the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten.
- MSU has won all four meetings in New Jersey.
- Cassius Winston scored at least 20 points for the third time this season and the fifth of his career. This was his eighth time in double figures this season and the 41st of his career.
- Nick Ward scored at least 20 points for the third time this season and the 14th time of his career. This was his fifth game in double figures this season and the 50th of his career.
- With 20 points, Nick Ward passed Gary Harris (2012-14) and Kevin Smith (1979-82) on the all-time scoring list. Ward is now No. 48 with 1,037 points. He needs 18 more points to pass Marcus Sanders (1962-65) for 47th all-time.
- Xavier Tillman scored 11 points, his second-straight game in double figures and the third this season.
- Kenny Goins grabbed nine rebounds to lead MSU. It was the fifth time this season leading the team in rebounds and the fourth time in the last six games.
- Michigan State held its fifth-straight opponent to below 40 percent shooting from the floor.
Up Next
Michigan State returns to the Breslin Center on Monday, Dec. 3, hosting No. 13 Iowa. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. and the game will air on FS1, with Tim Brando and Jim Jackson calling all of the action.
Team Stats
M-416
M-587
FG%
.466
.369
3FG%
.313
.308
FT%
.760
.688
RB
40
36
TO
7
7
STL
5
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
F
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