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Top 25 roundup: Michigan State’s win streak hits nine

By Thomson Reuters Jan 12, 2025 | 7:05 PM

Jaden Akins scored 14 points, including six free throws in the final 34 seconds, and Jase Richardson added 13 points as No. 16 Michigan State earned its ninth straight win with a 78-68 Big Ten victory over Northwestern on Sunday in Evanston, Ill.

Jeremy Fears Jr. contributed 12 points and eight assists for the Spartans (14-2, 5-0), who seized a 47-28 halftime lead and went on to remain one of two Big Ten teams undefeated in league play.

Nick Martinelli paced the Wildcats (10-6, 1-4) with 27 points and Jalen Leach added 17. Brooks Barnhizer, Northwestern’s No. 2 scorer at 19.3 points per game, missed his first seven shots, did not score until the second half and finished with four points on 2-of-13 shooting.

The Spartans carried a 19-point lead into halftime on the strength of 62.1 percent shooting. The Wildcats made seven of their first 11 shots, but only three of their final 20 over the last 13 minutes.

No. 15 Oregon 82, Penn State 81

Jackson Shelstad recorded 17 points and eight assists to guide the Ducks to a road victory over the Nittany Lions in University Park, Pa.

Shelstad, who did not record a turnover, was one of six Ducks to score in double figures. Keeshawn Barthelemy chipped in 15 points, while Jadrian Tracey had 13 and Nate Bittle pitched in 11 for Oregon (15-2, 4-2 Big Ten).

Freddie Dilione V scored a career-high 21 points to pace Penn State (12-5, 2-4), which also received solid contributions from Nick Kern Jr. (19 points, eight rebounds), Puff Johnson (15 points) and Zach Hicks (14 points, seven rebounds).

No. 20 Purdue 104, Nebraska 68

C.J. Cox scored 23 points to lift the Boilermakers to a convincing win over the visiting Cornhuskers in West Lafayette, Ind.

Cox went 9 of 11 from the field overall and 5 of 7 from 3-point range for Purdue (13-4, 5-1 Big Ten), which has won five straight games. Fletcher Loyer scored 19 points on 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point range and Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 15 points.

Connor Essegian came off the bench to score 17 points for Nebraska (12-4, 2-3), which committed 17 turnovers and shot just 6 of 27 (22.2 percent) from 3-point range. Juwan Gary added 10 points.

No. 21 West Virginia 78, Colorado 70

Javon Small scored 26 points, Joseph Yesufu added 18 points and the Mountaineers beat the Buffaloes in Boulder, Colo.

Eduardo Andre had 12 points before fouling out and Jonathan Powell contributed 10 points for West Virginia. The Mountaineers (12-3, 3-1 Big 12 Conference) have won eight of the last nine.

Julian Hammond III scored 21 points and Assane Diop finished with 15 for Colorado (9-6, 0-4), which made more free throws (24) than field goal attempts (20).

No. 24 Michigan 91, Washington 75

Vladislav Goldin scored 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field to lead a balanced attack as the Wolverines defeated the visiting Huskies in Big Ten Conference play in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Nimari Burnett made all six of his field-goal attempts, including four 3-pointers, to score 16 for Michigan (13-3, 5-0 Big Ten), which won its fifth in a row and improved to 8-0 at home. Roddy Gayle Jr. scored 15 points, Sam Walters posted 12 and Danny Wolf had 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Great Osobor led Washington (10-7, 1-5), losers of three straight, with a game-high 23 points and 11 rebounds while sharing team-high honors with four assists. Starter Zoom Diallo and reserve Mekhi Mason scored 13 apiece.

–Field Level Media