Evanston, IL (Sports Network) – Draymond Green had 15 points, including a key putback in the final moments, and No. 18 Michigan State fended off a furious rally Monday for a 65-62 win over Northwestern.
The Wildcats went on a 12-0 run and pulled within a point of Michigan State on Michael Thompson’s back-door layup with 27 seconds remaining in the game.
Kalin Lucas missed a free throw at the other end, but Green collected the rebound in the paint and scored to make 65-62.
Thompson missed a three-pointer to potentially tie it, but Northwestern got the rebound and called a timeout.
However, the best the Wildcats could do was a missed jumper from Drew Crawford from in front of the three-point line at the buzzer.
Lucas and Durrell Summers added 10 points apiece for the Spartans (10-4, 2-0 Big Ten), who have won four of their last five games.
Crawford scored 17 points and Thompson had 12 for Northwestern (9-3, 1-1), which has lost three of four after beginning the year with eight consecutive wins.