Jan. 21, 2012
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EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP)--Freshman Branden Dawson scored a season-high 14 points to help No. 9 Michigan State pull away and beat Purdue 83-58 Saturday.
The Spartans (16-4, 5-2 Big Ten) moved into a tie atop the conference by stopping their second two-game skid this season.
The Boilermakers (14-6, 4-3) have lost three of their last five games.
Michigan State went ahead on Brandon Wood's 3-pointer with five-plus minutes left in the first half and didn't give up the lead.
The Spartans led by seven at halftime and built a 23-point lead midway through the second half. They outscored Purdue 52-34 after halftime.
The Boilermakers didn't have a double-digit scorer until Lewis Jackson made two free throws with 7:23 left in the game. Jackson finished with 10 points and reserve John Hart also scored 10.
Purdue's Robbie Hummeldidn't make a shot for the first time in his injury-filled career that dates to 2007. Hummel, who entered the game averaging a team-high 16 points, was 0 for 11 and scored just two points that matched a career low.
In the first half, Michigan State relied on Derrick Nix and Austin Thornton while its leading scorers--Draymond Green and Keith Appling--made only one shot each before halftime.
Nix and Thornton combined for 13 points in the first half as the Spartans led 31-24. Nix finished with 12 points and Thornton scored 11, the senior's highest total against a Big Ten team.
Green had eight points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Appling ended up scoring 10 points.
Both team struggled to shoot in the opening minutes, but the Boilermakers weren't able to bounce back offensively.
Purdue was the first to score--nearly 3 minutes after tipoff--and needed more than 3 minutes to have a point in the second half. Purdue connected on 29 percent of its shots.
Michigan State, meanwhile, shot 60 percent.
The Spartans had lost two straight at home to Purdue, which beat them 67-47 in their last matchup at the Breslin Center.
Michigan State matched its largest margin of victory against the Boilermakers, equaling the 25-point win it had in 2006.