Michigan State University
Minnesota
No. 7 Michigan State Defeats Minnesota, 60-53
1/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 13, 2010
Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery 1 
| Photo Gallery 2
The Spartans (14-3, 4-0 Big Ten) moved into a first-place tie with Illinois in the conference and will host the Fighting Illini on Saturday.
Lawrence Westbrook had 15 points and Damian Johnson scored 14 for the Golden Gophers (12-5, 3-2).
Michigan State built some double-digit leads early in the second half, but Westbrook scored 10 straight points to give Minnesota comeback hopes. The Gophers pulled within three with 3 minutes to go when Ralph Sampson III tipped in a putback, then the Spartans made the shots and stops to seal the win.
Minnesota's Blake Hoffarber scored just four points after he had a career-high 27 points in the previous game, a win over Ohio State, and scored 20-plus points in four of seven games. Hoffarber combined to score just 15 points in his previous two games this season against ranked teams.
The Spartans were sluggish in the first half and Summers came through when they needed him most, making an alley-oop dunk and layup to put them ahead.
Michigan State led 33-25 at halftime and looked like it might cruise to an easy victory when Delvon Roe's layup put the Spartans ahead 38-27 early in the second half.
Westbrook made a runner, a jumper and a pair of 3-pointers to lead a one-man rally.
The Spartans' balanced offense and timely defense, though, helped them beat Minnesota for the seventh straight game and the 12th time in 13 matchups.
The Gophers have lost 38 straight road games against ranked teams since winning at Michigan in 1997.
