Jaden Akins scores 19, No. 8 Michigan State beats No. 11 Wisconsin 71-62 for 5th straight victory
Jaden Akins scores 19, No. 8 Michigan State beats No. 11 Wisconsin 71-62 for 5th straight victory
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Jaden Akins scored 19 points and Jaxon Kohler had 10 pounds and a career-high 16 rebounds to lead No. 8 Michigan State to a 71-62 win over No. 11 Wisconsin on Sunday.
The Spartans (24-5, 15-3 Big Ten) have won five straight, putting them in position to contend for the conference championship with a week left in the regular season.
The Badgers (22-7, 12-6) had won six of seven.
Michigan State freshman Jase Richardson overcame foul trouble in the first half to finish with 11 points, six assists and five rebounds.
Wisconsin’s John Blackwell had 19 points and John Tonje scored 11 in a starting lineup that was without injured guard Max Klesmit.
The Badgers led by nine points early in the game and were ahead 34-32 at halftime. Richardson’s all-around game helped the Spartans take control early in the second half.
Takeaways
Wisconsin: Tonje was 3 of 13 and was held to 11 points in the second half, keeping the Big Ten Player of the Year candidate well below his scoring average of 19.5 points.
Michigan State: Coen Carr scored just four points, but his highlight-reel dunks in the first and second half provided needed sparks for the Spartans.
Key moment
In a 17-second stretch, Richardson had two assists and a steal to help Michigan State take a nine-point lead with 1:26 left.
Key stat
After entering the game shooting a Big Ten-best 38% on 3-pointers and making nearly 11 a game, the Badgers were 5 of 32 beyond the arc.
Up next
Michigan State plays Thursday night at Iowa and wraps up the regular season at home Sunday against rival and 15th ranked Michigan, likely with Big Ten title ramifications. Wisconsin plays Wednesday night at Minnesota and ends the regular season Saturday against Penn State at home.
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By LARRY LAGE
AP Sports Writer
