Iowa nearly upsets No. 6 Michigan State

Iowa (7-12, 1-5) outplayed and outhustled Michigan State through much of the second half but couldn't get over the top.

No. 6 Michigan State (16-3, 6-0) held off Iowa 70-63 at the Breslin Center tonight. The Spartans had built a 19-point lead with 11:05 left in the game. But Iowa chipped away until cutting the lead twice to three points, once with 2:01 left, the other with 17.2 seconds left.

The Spartans sealed the win by hitting four straight free throws in the final 14 seconds.

Matt Gatens led Iowa with 17 points. Aaron Fuller scored 13.

FIRST HALF RECAP

Michigan State rolled to a 35-23 halftime lead after burying Iowa with a 21-2 run that lasted more than 10 minutes.

Iowa led 19-14 and frustrated the Spartans on both ends of the court. But Michigan State then got its offense rolling, scoring on six straight possessions. Concurrently Iowa struggled offensively, finishing four straight possessions with turnovers and followed with two consecutive possessions with offensive fouls.

Matt Gatens leads Iowa in scoring with 10 points. Michigan State's Durrell Summers leads all scorers with 12 points.

Michigan State shot 50 percent from the floor in the first half, and was 13 of 22 in two-point range. The Spartans had 14 assists, while Iowa had nine turnovers.