Cassius Winston shook off a slow start and finished with 23 points to help No. 6 Michigan State beat Purdue 77-59 Tuesday night. The Spartans (14-2, 5-0 Big Ten) have won nine straight.
The Boilermakers (9-6, 2-2) won their previous three games by a combined total of 55 points.
Purdue got off to a strong start, rattling Michigan State with pressure defense and took a 9-2 lead a few minutes into the game.
The Spartans cut down on their turnovers and held together as Winston, their leading scorer, made his first shot with 3:52 left in the first half. The junior point guard closed the half with nine points, giving Michigan State a 39-26 lead.
Winston scored three of the Spartans' next five points to push their lead to nine midway through the second half, and they added to the cushion by ending the game with an 11-1 run.
Michigan State's Nick Ward scored 16 points and Xavier Tillman had 11 points.
BIG PICTURE
Michigan State: The Spartans are winning without one of their top players, junior guard Joshua Langford. He missed a third straight game with an ankle injury. The players filling in for him have made the most of the opportunity, including freshman Aaron Henry, who was a part of the defensive effort against Edwards.
UP NEXT
Michigan State: At Penn State on Sunday.
