Penn State hangs on to get rare victory at Michigan State

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Lamar Stevens had 24 points, and Myreon Jones made a career-high six 3-pointers and scored 20 points, leading No. 22 Penn State to a 75-70 win over No. 16 Michigan State on Tuesday night.

The Nittany Lions (17-5, 7-5 Big Ten) have won five straight games, making them contenders in the conference during the second half of the regular season.

The Spartans (16-7, 8-4) dropped consecutive games for the first time this season. They also lost to a Big Ten team at home for the first time this year.

Michigan State’s Cassius Winston scored 25 points but could not convert on chances to pull into a tie twice in the closing seconds. Winston didn’t get much help offensively from his teammates, none of whom scored in double digits.

Stevens made two free throws to give Penn State a three-point lead with 16 seconds left. Winston had a chance to tie the score with a three-point play on the ensuing possession but missed the free throw.

Stevens then made two free throws to restore the three-point lead with 9.1 seconds left.

Winston missed a 3-pointer the next time down the court. The Spartans were forced to foul Curtis Jones, who made two free throws to seal Penn State’s first victory at Michigan State since 2009 and just the second in 25 games.

Penn State was in control for much of the game, leading by as many as 11 in the first half and by six at halftime. The Nittany Lions played with composure in the second half when the Spartans tried to rally.

The Nittany Lions already have matched their total of Big Ten victories of last season and should surpass their school record of 10 Big Ten wins.