EAST LANSING — Offensive flow and consistency remained an issue, and Michigan State basketball opened Big Ten play much like it finished November.
With a sour ending.
The 20th-ranked Spartans showed fight through their frustration but Northwestern displayed defensive grit and toughness all Sunday night, disrupting MSU for long stretches and hanging on for a 70-63 victory at Breslin Center in the conference opener for both teams.
The Spartans (5-4, 0-1 Big Ten) opened a seven-point lead over the first seven-plus minutes that vanished by halftime and flipped by the middle of the second half to a nine-point edge for the Wildcats (6-2, 1-0).