Post-Game Notes: Iowa

March 2, 2011

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Game Notes...
• The 19-point win was the largest margin of victory for the Spartans this season in a Big Ten game (previous: 18 vs. Penn State on Feb. 10).

• Michigan State shot 54.5 percent from the field, its third-best shooting effort in a game this season (57.4 percent vs. Ohio State on Feb. 15; 54.7 percent vs. South Carolina on Nov. 16).

• The Spartans hit seven 3-pointers (7-for-14), the most for MSU since making eight against Indiana on Jan. 30...the 50-percent shooting from 3-point range was the best since going 10-for-20 from 3 at Purdue on Jan. 22.

• Michigan State had a dominating 42-12 advantage in bench points.

• The Spartans held Iowa without a 3-point field goal (0-for-12) for the first time all season.

• Michigan State has now won five straight Senior Day games...MSU's last loss on Senior Day came against Illinois on March 4, 2006...during his tenure as a head coach at Michigan State, Tom Izzo is 13-3 on Senior Day games.

• The win guarantees Michigan State at least a .500 record in Big Ten play (MSU is currently 9-8 in Big Ten play with one game left in the regular season). Coach Izzo has never had a sub-.500 Big Ten record and MSU hasn't had a sub-.500 record in conference play since 1992-93 (7-11).

Series notes...
• Michigan State has now won 16 straight against Iowa at home.

Player notes...
• Kalin Lucas went 6-for-6 at the free-throw line in becoming MSU's all-time free throw leader...Lucas passed Paul Davis, who made 477 free throws from 2002-06...Lucas now has 481 free throws...Lucas finished his last game at the Breslin Center with 17 points and six assists, and hit his last 3-pointer with 1:39 left in the game.

• Keith Appling led all scorers with 18 points, his second-best scoring effort of the season (career-high 19 points vs. Northwestern on Jan. 15)...Appling hit a career-high seven field goals (7-for-8), including four 3-pointers.

• Derrick Nix made a career-high five free throws (5-for-5) and finished with nine points in just nine minutes.

• Austin Thornton scored seven points, a career high for him in a Big Ten game, and was 3-of-5 from the field.

• Playing just 16 minutes while battling an ankle injury, Draymond Green scored 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists.