Carson Cooper had 18 points and nine rebounds to lead No. 12 Michigan State to a 76-66 win over Northwestern in a Big Ten contest on Thursday in East Lansing, Mich.
Jaxon Kohler had 15 points and eight rebounds and Jeremy Fears scored 15 points for the Spartans (14-2, 4-1), which overcame 15 turnovers.
Nick Martinelli scored a game-high 28 points in defeat for the Wildcats (8-7, 0-4).
Northwestern trailed by 10 with 4:27 to play, but went on a 10-2 run to cut the Michigan State lead to 64-62 with 2:04 remaining.
Michigan State answered, taking a 68-62 lead with 1:17 left after a layup by Fears and a dunk by Coen Carr.
Following a miss, Northwestern fouled Cooper on the rebound with 48.2 seconds remaining, and Cooper hit two free throws to make it an eight-point lead.
After another Northwestern miss, Fears was fouled and hit two free throws with 36.8 seconds to go to give Michigan State a 72-62 lead and all but wrap up the game.
Neither team shot well from 3-point range. Michigan State went 5 of 18 from behind the 3-point line, while Northwestern went 6 of 26.
Northwestern trailed for much of the first half before ending it on an 11-0 run to take a 35-28 halftime lead after a steal and layup by Jayden Reid. It was the largest halftime deficit of the season for Michigan State, as the Spartans were held scoreless for the last 5:05.
Michigan State cut Northwestern’s lead to 41-38 with 14:37 to go after a jumper by Kohler.
Northwestern responded by scoring four straight points, but Michigan State went on a 10-0 run to take a 48-45 lead with 10:05 left. Cameron Ward’s layup and three-point play sparked the rally.
The Spartans then took a 52-47 lead with 9:15 after an electrifying dunk in transition by Carr.
Holding a two-point edge with 8:49 remaining, Michigan State scored six straight on three free throws by Fears and a 3-pointer by Kohler to grab a 58-50 lead with 6:37 left.
