EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Alex Murphy scored 18 points, including a crucial 3-pointer from the corner late in the second half, and Northeastern upset Michigan State 81-73 on Sunday night.
It was the second head-turning upset of the season for the Huskies, who won at Connecticut last month. In between, Northeastern (6-5) lost to the likes of LIU Brooklyn, Cornell and Stony Brook.
Cassius Winston had 21 points and 10 assists for the Spartans (7-5), who trailed 36-32 at halftime and could never really take control.
Michigan State went on a 17-4 run in the second half and led 51-45 before T.J. Williams made a 3-pointer, snapping a string of nine straight missed field goals by Northeastern. The Huskies took the lead back before too long, and with the score 64-61, the 6-foot-8 Murphy made a layup followed by a 3-pointer from in front of the Northeastern bench, making it an eight-point game with 2:47 remaining.
At that point, a small group of fans behind the Northeastern bench started chanting, “Let’s go Huskies!”
BIG PICTURE
Northeastern: The Huskies are certainly a hard team to figure out. They’ve now beaten a couple big-name programs — although UConn and Michigan State aren’t exactly at their best right now. Northeastern showed impressive resolve, recovering nicely from a rough stretch in the second half and eventually closing the game out comfortably.
Michigan State: The Spartans were without freshman standout Miles Bridges, who missed his fourth straight game with a left ankle injury. Michigan State let this game get away from the 3-point line, where Northeastern went 11 of 23 and the Spartans were only 5 of 16. Michigan State was held to single-digit margins in home wins this month against Oral Roberts and Tennessee Tech, and this time the Spartans were victimized by an upset.
UP NEXT
Northeastern: The Huskies have another game in Michigan coming up Tuesday night when they play at Oakland.
Michigan State: The Spartans’ next game is also against Oakland, on Wednesday night in East Lansing. That’s Michigan State’s last game before starting Big Ten play.
