EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Grace VanSlooten scored 22 points and Juliann Woodward sank two free throws with 5.1 remaining in the game for No. 15 Michigan State to seal a 73-71 win over No. 24 Nebraska on Thursday night.
Rashunda Jones added 15 points and Kennedy Blair had 14 for the Spartans (17-1, 6-1 Big 10), who are off to their best start in program history.
Nebraska (14-4, 3-4) was led by Amiah Hargrove, who scored 21 points off the bench on 9-of-11 shooting from the field. Britt Prince added 14. The Cornhuskers finished 7 of 20 from 3-point range after making five in the first quarter.
Michigan State jumped ahead with a 13-2 run spanning halftime to go up 44-35. But Nebraska rallied behind a 7-0 run to take a 67-64 lead with 3:32 left in the fourth quarter.
Prince made a pull-up jumper from the free-throw line with 48.3 seconds left to put Nebraska ahead 71-69.
A foul sent Jones to the line, where she made both shots to tie the game at 71-all with 39.7 left. After a Nebraska turnover on the baseline, the Spartans worked the clock down and Woodward was fouled after grabbing an offensive rebound before making two free throws.
Michigan State snaped a three-game losing streak against Nebraska. The Spartans’ last victory against the Cornhuskers came in the 2022-23 season during the Big 10 Tournament.
Up next
Nebraska: Visits Wisconsin on Jan. 21.
Michigan State: Visits No. 11 Iowa on Sunday.
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