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Indiana beats No. 11 Michigan State 71-67, leaving Tom Izzo on brink of breaking Bob Knight’s record

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Malik Renea scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half to help Indiana beat No. 11 Michigan State 71-67 Tuesday night, leaving Tom Izzo on the brink of breaking Bob Knight’s Big Ten wins record.

The Hoosiers (15-10, 6-8 Big Ten) had lost five straight under coach Mike Woodson, who is stepping down after the season.

The Spartans (19-5, 10-3) lost for the third time in four games, leaving Izzo with 353 Big Ten wins that match the mark Knight set at Indiana while winning three NCAA titles.

Michigan State’s Jaden Akins scored 14 points and Jase Richardson had 13.

Myles Rice had 10 points, including two free throws with 30 seconds left to put the Hoosiers ahead by four points.

Indiana beats No. 11 Michigan State 71-67, leaving Tom Izzo on brink of breaking Bob Knight's record | iNFOnews.ca
Michigan State forward Jaxon Kohler, right, and Indiana forward Bryson Tucker (8) vie for a rebound during an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

Indiana’s Oumar Ballo scored 14 points and Luke Goode had 10.

Takeaways

Indiana: The preseason pick to finish second in the Big Ten that was ranked as high as No. 14 in the AP Top 25 in late November showed some of its potential, coming back from a double-digit deficit early in the game to lead at halftime and for the entire second half.

Michigan State: Interior defense was a problem, leading to giving up 38 points in the paint. It didn’t help that Jaxon Kohler was called for a third foul early in the second half and was limited to 18 minutes against a team with multiple low-post options offensively.

Key moment

Indiana beats No. 11 Michigan State 71-67, leaving Tom Izzo on brink of breaking Bob Knight's record | iNFOnews.ca
Indiana forward Bryson Tucker (8), center, shoots against Michigan State guard Jaden Akins, left, and Michigan State forward Jaxon Kohler during an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

Mackenzie Mgbako made two free throws with 9.4 seconds left, putting the Hoosiers ahead by three points.

Key stat

The Spartans made just 38.2% of their shots overall and were worse on 3-pointers, connecting on 4 of 23 beyond the arc.

Up next

Michigan State plays at Illinois on Saturday night and Indiana hosts UCLA on Friday night.

Indiana beats No. 11 Michigan State 71-67, leaving Tom Izzo on brink of breaking Bob Knight's record | iNFOnews.ca
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo reacts during an NCAA college basketball game against Indiana, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

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Follow Larry Lage at https://apnews.com/author/larry-lage

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