Indiana gets win at Michigan State
by Terry Hutchens, USA TODAY Sports
EAST LANSING, Mich. — The Breslin Center jinx is over for the Indiana Hoosiers.
And with the victory, IU is the drivers seat for the Big Ten title.
Top-ranked Indiana used a 7-0 run in the final 1:38 to take the lead and then held on for a dramatic 72-68 victory over No. 5 Michigan State before a raucous crowd at the Breslin Center.
Victor Oladipo was the star. He scored 19 points including the last six that helped the Hoosiers pull off a victory in a building where they hadn’t won since 1991. Michigan State had won 17 straight over the Hoosiers at the Breslin Center.
The victory gives IU (24-3, 12-2 Big Ten) a two-game sweep in the series and sole possession of first place in the Big Ten with four games to play. More importantly, IU will have the tie-breaker in any tie with the Spartans (22-5, 11-3).
It was the first meeting of men’s basketball top-5 teams in the history of the Michigan State campus
With IU trailing 67-66, Oladipo scored on a tip in basket off a missed shot by Yogi Ferrell to make it 68-67 with 46 seconds to play.
With 13.2 seconds remaining, IU had an inbounds play still clinging to the one-point lead. Oladipo released deep and Christian Watford threw him the ball and Oladipo dunked it to give IU a 70-67 edge with 10.1 seconds remaining.
Will Sheehey was then called for a three-shot foul on Gary Harris with 3.7 seconds remaining. But Harris missed the first, made the second and missed the third on purpose.
Oladipo got the rebound and made both free throws at the other end.
Cody Zeller had 17 points for IU and Jordan Hulls added 12. Harris led Michigan State with 19.
From the start, it was obvious this would not be the rollicking romp the building enjoyed a week ago in a 73-53 MSU blowout of Michigan. The Hoosiers came out firing and the Spartans started fumbling the ball away after taking an early 11-8 lead.
The Hoosiers took the lead on a Watford three-pointer and continued building it until it got as high as eight … [For more on No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers get win at No. 5 Michigan State, click here.]
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