National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Northwestern 81, Michigan St 74
When: 3:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 14, 2012
Where: Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, Illinois
Officials: # Bob Donato, # Tom O'Neill, # Lamont Simpson
Attendance: 8117

John Shurna scored 22 points and Northwestern snapped No. 7 Michigan State's 15-game winning streak, clamping down defensively in the second half for an 81-74 victory in Evanston, Ill.

The Spartans (15-3, 4-1 Big Ten) shot 65 percent in the first half but still went into the break behind by two after Shurna's 3-pointer just seconds before the buzzer put the Wildcats (12-5, 2-3) in front, 39-37. Michigan State never regained the lead, shooting 33 percent (11-for-33) after the intermission.

Drew Crawford and Davide Curletti added 20 and 17 points, respectively, for Northwestern, which had dropped 16 consecutive games against ranked opponents. The Wildcats finished with 20 assists on 26 field goals and turned the ball over just seven times.

Shurna shot just 5-for-14 from the field but connected on 10 of 11 free-throw attempts. Northwestern shot 50 percent (26-for-52) as a team.

Keith Appling led Michigan State with 17 points, while Draymond Green added 14 points and 14 rebounds.
Top Game Performances
 
Michigan St   Northwestern
Keith Appling 17 Scoring John Shurna 22
Brandon Wood 5 Assists Dave Sobolewski 7
Draymond Green 14 Rebounds Davide Curletti 6
Keith Appling 9 Free Throws Made John Shurna 10
Keith Appling 2 Steals Davide Curletti 2
Branden Dawson 1 Blocks John Shurna 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Michigan St 74 46.2 9-18 17-27 19 36 4 6 13
Northwestern 81 50.0 8-17 21-29 20 24 4 7 6