Green Leads Michigan St Past Iowa 92-75 In Big Ten Tournament
CLIFF BRUNT,AP Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Draymond Green had 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead No. 8 Michigan State over Iowa 92-75 in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals on Friday.
Adreian Payne added a career-high 16 points, Keith Appling had 12 points and six assists and Brandon Wood had 10 points for the top-seeded Spartans (25-7). The Spartans shot 58 percent from the field.
Michigan State will play either No. 14 Indiana or No. 15 Wisconsin in the semifinals Saturday.
Josh Oglesby scored 20 points for Iowa (17-15). Zach McCabe and Roy Devyn Marble added 13 points each for the Hawkeyes, who defeated Illinois on Thursday. Iowa entered Friday's game having won four of six games, including wins against Indiana and Wisconsin.
Michigan State played its first game without forward Branden Dawson, a freshman who tore a left knee ligament in the regular-season finale against Ohio State.
The Spartans didn't need him against the Hawkeyes, who have the Big Ten's worst defense. Michigan State defeated Iowa 95-61 on Jan. 10, and this one wasn't much different.
A reverse layup by Derrick Nix, then a putback by Green on Nix's missed free throw put Michigan State up 26-22 midway through the first half. A 3-pointer by Payne pushed the lead to 31-22 and forced Iowa to call timeout.
The Spartans made 21 of 30 shots in the first half and 6 of 11 3-pointers to take a 55-39 lead. Three Spartans scored in double figures in the first half, with Payne's 12 points leading the way. Payne came into the game averaging just under seven points.
Iowa made 12 of 26 shots overall and 5 of 11 3-pointers in the first half, a respectable showing that normally would keep a team competitive. But Michigan State did everything right. The Spartans committed only four first-half turnovers and had 10 second-chance points on five offensive rebounds. Iowa didn't grab its first offensive rebound until 2:39 remained in the first half.
The Spartans led by as many as 28 points in the second half.
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