East Lansing – When Michigan State first took the court Thursday night at the Breslin Center to take on No. 23 Rutgers, it looked like the Spartans were still thinking about the one-point loss on Monday to No. 3 Purdue.
The Spartans were slow, missing shots and getting beat on the glass – a theme that never really changed all night. Before long, though, the grit Tom Izzo has praised all season returned, Michigan State started lighting it up from long range and even a rough night rebounding couldn’t keep the Spartans from snapping a two-game skid, earning a 70-57 victory over the Scarlet Knights.