No. 2 MSU Tops Minnesota 87-57 With 27 Points From Jackson

By DAVE CAMPBELL/AP Sports Writer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Jaren Jackson Jr. scored a career-high 27 points on 10-for-14 shooting for second-ranked Michigan State, and the Spartans cruised to their ninth consecutive victory by beating Minnesota 87-57 on Tuesday night.

The Spartans (25-3, 13-2) notched their best 28-game record under coach Tom Izzo and pulled within a half-game of first-place Ohio State in the Big Ten despite just five points in 25 minutes from star Miles Bridges.

Nick Ward had 13 points and nine rebounds and Cassius Winston pitched in 12 points for the Spartans, who made their first six 3-point attempts and finished 14 for 22 from behind the arc.

Isaiah Washington scored 18 points and Jordan Murphy added 16 points and seven rebounds for the Gophers (14-14, 3-12), who lost their eighth straight game.

When the Big Ten schedule was finalized over the summer, this game looked like one of the marquee matchups that would help shape the conference race. That was before Minnesota fell apart in early January, bulldozed by the sudden absence of senior center Reggie Lynch amid allegations of sexual assault against him.

Any long shot the Gophers had of shocking the Spartans was lessened significantly when starters Amir Coffey (shoulder) and Dupree McBrayer (shin) were again held out of the lineup. Coffey has missed 10 of the last 12 games. McBrayer, after playing through the pain for several weeks, sat out for the second straight time.

Then whatever mystery about the outcome that might have still lingered at tipoff was erased by Michigan State's long-range shooting. Winston swished the first three 3s, Jackson knocked down the next two, and Bridges hit one, his only made field goal of the first half, to build an 18-6 lead in less than five minutes.

There's much more to the Spartans than a bunch of outside shooters, though.
Ward made his burly presence felt with a jarring screen to the shoulder that made Gophers point guard Nate Mason wince in pain on the bench after being subbed out. He contributed a three-point play after converting a power layup and then threw down a dunk on the next possession. Jackson, the only freshman in the otherwise-all-sophomore starting lineup, added three blocked shots to his Big Ten-leading total.

The Spartans, who won their previous three games by three points each, had a 49-23 rebounding advantage. They padded their 18-point average victory margin, third in the country entering the night, with a dominant performance from start to finish.

BACK TO THE BARN

Last season at Minnesota, the Spartans rallied for a 75-74 overtime victory. They beat the Gophers 69-61 here on Jan. 2, 2016, the only other visit they've made to Williams Arena during coach Richard Pitino's five-year guidance of the program. Izzo's first experience on the raised floor actually came more than four decades ago, when his Northern Michigan team lost at Minnesota in 1974 and 1976.

BIG PICTURE

Michigan State: The Spartans are built for a long run in the NCAA Tournament, with an eighth Final Four appearance and even a second national championship for Izzo well within reach during a season played in front of a backdrop of past sexual assault allegations that arose against the program. The conference title is the goal for now, and the Spartans have a favorable finish with two of their last three opponents in the bottom five of the Big Ten. Ohio State, which plays at Penn State on Thursday, still has trips to Michigan and Indiana.

Minnesota: The Gophers have tumbled so hard since they were ranked 14th in The Associated Press poll the week of Dec. 4 that they're essentially out of consideration for an NIT bid now too. With Bakary Konate at center and Washington at shooting guard, this was their 11th different starting lineup of the season.

UP NEXT

Michigan State: Plays at Northwestern on Saturday. The Spartans have won eight consecutive games against the Wildcats, with their last loss on Jan. 14, 2012.

Minnesota: Plays at Wisconsin on Monday, the only meeting this season between the border-state rivals. The Badgers have won seven straight games overall in the series and six in a row at home, with the last win for the Gophers on the road on Jan. 15, 2009.

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