Valentine and McQuaid combined for 10 3 point field goals
while the No. 12 Spartans (18-4, 5-4) hit 16 of 26 on the way to
their second straight victory.
Guard Bryant McIntosh scored 14 points and forward Aaron Falzon
added 11 for the poor-shooting Wildcats (15-7, 3-6).
Northwestern shot 20.7 percent from the field and went 4 of 23
on 3 point tries as a losing streak reached four, including
three straight to ranked teams.
McQuaid scored 14 points in the second half while forward
Deyonta Davis pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds as the
Spartans built a 42-33 edge on the boards.
Michigan State, which has won seven straight in the series, led
by 12 at halftime and opened 28-point lead at 64-36 on guard
Bryn Forbes 3 pointer with 6:19 to play.
The Spartans scored the final 12 points.
The Michigan State win came on the heels of Saturday's 72-71
home victory over No. 8 Maryland which snapped a three-game
losing streak.
The Spartans opened with seven unanswered points and hit 8 of 11
3-point attempts in the first half. The Spartans never trailed
and led by as many as 15 points en route to a 36-24 halftime
lead.
Valentine collected 14 first-half points, hitting four
3-pointers.
Northwestern hit only one of nine field-goal attempts to open
the game and went 7-for-31 in the first half. McIntosh had 10
first-half points, and the Wildcats were 3 for 14 on 3-point
attempts before the break.
NOTES: Spartan G Denzel Valentine was averaging 22 points during
his previous three games, four above his season average. ...
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo earned his 513th career win, the
second-best total for a coach at a Big Ten school. He broke a
tie with former Purdue coach Gene Keady. ... The Spartans host
Rutgers on Sunday, while Northwestern plays its fourth
consecutive nationally ranked foe when it travels to No. 3 Iowa.
... The Wildcats fell to 0-5 against ranked teams. ...
Northwestern sophomore G Bryant McIntosh and Illinois' Malcolm
Hill are the only Big Ten players with multiple 30-point games.
Both had two through midweek.
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