National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Michigan St 70, Nebraska 64
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, January 17, 2019
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Nebraska
Officials: # Keith Kimble, # Robert Riley, # Larry Scirotto
Attendance: 15923

Streaks were on the line in Lincoln, Neb., on Thursday night, and it was the visiting team that kept on rolling.

Junior Cassius Winston scored a career-high 29 points and handed out six assists to lead No. 6 Michigan State to a 70-64 victory over Nebraska, the 19th straight Big Ten regular-season victory for the Spartans. The loss ended Nebraska's 20-game run of home victories.

Nick Ward added 15 points and 10 rebounds for Michigan State (16-2, 7-0 Big Ten). Kenny Goins pulled down 11 rebounds for the Spartans.

James Palmer Jr. scored 24 points while Isaac Copeland Jr. added 13 for the Cornhuskers (13-5, 3-4).

The first half was a back-and-forth battle as the lead changed hands seven times.

The Cornhuskers' defense was stifling early, forcing Michigan State into nine first-half turnovers. However, Winston was on point from the opening tip, scoring 16 before the break.

Meanwhile, two free throws from Copeland with 3:04 to play gave the Huskers a 28-26 lead.

However, it was all Michigan State from there as the Spartans scored the final seven points of the half, capped by a three-point play from Winston with 12.5 seconds left, giving Michigan State a 33-28 lead at halftime.

The tight battle continued in the second half as each team struggled to find a rhythm. However, after Nebraska tied the score 44-44 on two Palmer free throws, Michigan State scored the next seven to take its biggest lead to that point, 51-44, with 7:26 to play.

The run included five points from freshman Aaron Henry, who hit a 3-pointer then converted on a layup in transition. His points were sandwiched around a Goins layup on a pass from Ward.

After Nebraska got within three, Ward scored on a hook on the block and Winston buried a deep 3-pointer to put the Spartans up 56-48 with a little more than four minutes to play.

The Spartans pushed the lead to 12 in the final minutes before putting the game away at the free-throw line, despite a late flurry from the Cornhuskers.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Michigan St   Nebraska
Cassius Winston 29 Scoring James Palmer Jr. 24
Cassius Winston 6 Assists James Palmer Jr. 3
Kenny Goins 11 Rebounds James Palmer Jr. 8
Cassius Winston 8 Free Throws Made James Palmer Jr. 11
Matt McQuaid 2 Steals Glynn Watson Jr. 3
Kenny Goins 2 Blocks Isaiah Roby 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Michigan St 70 43.6 6-20 16-18 13 42 4 5 15
Nebraska 64 32.8 5-26 15-19 11 30 2 9 9