Minnesota beats No. 10 Michigan State 76-73, stems late Spartans surge to snap 7-game skid

Jaylen Crocker-Johnson had 22 points and seven rebounds to help Minnesota hold off a late surge by 10th-seeded Michigan State and secure a 76-73 upset on Wednesday night.

Cade Tyson scored 17 points and Langston Reynolds added 14 points and eight assists for the Gophers (11-12, 4-8 Big Ten), who snapped a seven-game losing streak despite being outscored 22-9 over the final four minutes in a game in which they were underdogs by 7 1/2 points according to MGM Sportsbook.

Quinn Carr scored 10 of his 16 points for the Spartans (19-4, 9-3) in the final three minutes, including a layup with 34 seconds left that cut the lead to 72-68, their closest margin since 7-3.

Trey Fort’s pick-and-roll 3-pointer made it 73-71 with 20 seconds left, but Isaac Asuma hit both free throws to hold the Gophers steady, whose fans stormed the stadium after the final bell.

Spartans point guard Jeremy Fears Jr., who totaled 60 points through two games last week, had just 10 points on 4-for-11 shooting with 11 assists.

The Spartans were in a four-way tie for first place five days ago with Michigan, Illinois and Nebraska. All four teams are ranked in the top 10 of The Associated Press poll. After losing to rival Wolverines FridayThe Spartans fell to fourth place.

The Gophers were too late to make the breakthrough, giving up by three points or fewer during the skid. They were tied or ahead in the final minute of regulation in five of them. Minnesota’s last win over a top-10 team in the AP was on Jan. 16, 2021, over No. 7 Michigan.

Moved to the bench with Jordan Scott starting the first time, Spartans guard Devine Ugochukwu hobbled off with an injury in the first half and did not return.

Michigan State hosts No. 5 Illinois on Saturday. Minnesota hosts Maryland on Sunday.