Nick Ward Leads No. 6 Michigan State Over Penn State, 71-56

Cover Image
Photo credit Penn State's Josh Reaves (23) goes to the basket as Michigan State's Nick Ward (44) defends during first-half action of an NCAA college basketball game in State College, Pa. Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Chris Knight)
By TRAVIS JOHNSON ,  Associated Press
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Nick Ward had 16 points and 11 rebounds to lead No. 6 Michigan State to a 71-56 win over Penn State on Sunday.
Matt McQuaid added 15 points and Cassius Winston chipped in 11 for the Spartans (15-2, 6-0 Big Ten), who have won 10 straight. They also beat the Nittany Lions (7-10, 0-6) for the 10th consecutive time.

ICYMI: No. 6 @MSU_Basketball took care of Penn State to win its 10th straight game.Here are all of the top plays. pic.twitter.com/dtaYADzZC2

— Michigan St. on BTN (@MichiganStOnBTN) January 14, 2019

Kenny Goins added 10 rebounds for the Spartans, who only trailed for 10 seconds and led by as many as 21 with 6:44 to play.

The Spartans took control just over five minutes into the first half with a relentless possession.

Fueled by a pair of offensive rebounds from Goins and Xavier Tillman, the Spartans controlled the ball for nearly 40 seconds and took the lead for good when Winston pinpointed a bounce pass through traffic to Goins, who finished with a right-handed dunk. Goins' jam sparked a 28-14 run for the Spartans, who led 40-24 at halftime.

Lamar Stevens led Penn State (7-10, 0-6) with 20 points. Myles Dread, Josh Reaves and Mike Watkins all scored 11 points.

BIG PICTURE

Michigan State: The Spartans are getting by just fine without veteran guard Joshua Langford, who missed his fourth straight game with an ankle injury. In his place, a handful of Spartans have provided scoring depth, including Kyle Ahrens, Aaron Henry and McQuaid.

Penn State: The Nittany Lions are in desperate need of some positivity. Their 0-6 start in the Big Ten is their worst since the 2014-15 season, when they finished 4-14 in conference play.

UP NEXT

Michigan State: Visits Nebraska on Thursday.

Penn State: Hosts Iowa on Wednesday.