MICHIGAN STATE 84, PENN STATE 58: Spartans tame Nittany Lions, roll to sixth straight victory:
“BY GEORGE SIPPLE
“FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
“STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — For six minutes Wednesday night, the Spartans were pushed by a young Penn State squad. Fortunately for Michigan State, that stretch came at the start.
“The No. 20 Spartans regrouped quickly and used a 15-2 run midway through the first half to take control of their Big Ten opener. They never led by fewer than eight points thereafter in an 84-58 victory at the Bryce Jordan Center. Michigan State (9-2) has won six games in a row.
“‘I thought we played very average early,’ said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. He said his team had more energy in recent practices.
‘A lot of excuses on why we didn’t play as hard,’ Izzo said. ‘One of them is Penn State. I thought they had some enthusiasm. They played very well early.'”