EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Tyson Walker scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half and Michigan State beat Nebraska 74-56 on Tuesday night for its 10th straight victory in the series.
Walker had a personal 7-0 run to reach 14 points through the opening 11 minutes of the game as Michigan State led 26-13. The Spartans also closed the half on a 13-0 run for a 39-17 lead — its largest halftime lead against a Big Ten opponent since the 2016-17 season.
Nebraska scored 18 points in the opening seven minutes of the second half, after scoring just 17 in the first half, and got as close as 58-46 with 8:44 left. But Michigan State scored the next 10 points, capped by another 3-pointer by Walker.
Joey Hauser had 10 points and 10 rebounds and freshman Jaxon Kohler reached double figures for the first time this season with 10 points for Michigan State (10-4, 2-1 Big Ten). Malik Hall, in his second game since Nov. 18, scored five points and Mady Sissoko grabbed 10 rebounds.
Derrick Walker was the first Nebraska player to reach double figures with 13:04 left in the second half and he finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. Sam Griesel and Wilhelm Breidenbach each scored 10 points for Nebraska (8-7, 1-3).
Michigan State has won five straight, with all five opponents scoring fewer than 70 points. The Spartans host in-state rival Michigan on Saturday. Nebraska plays at Minnesota on Saturday.
