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Michigan State Basketball: Highlights, top performers at Purdue

By Connor Muldowney

Feb 18, 2017; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Lourawls 'Tum Tum' Nairn Jr. (11) plays defense against the Purdue Boilermakers game at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2017; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Lourawls 'Tum Tum' Nairn Jr. (11) plays defense against the Purdue Boilermakers game at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michigan State basketball lost its second battle with Purdue this season in blowout fashion, but who played well?

Well, Saturday’s rematch with Purdue wasn’t exactly what Michigan State basketball was hoping for. The Spartans had a chance to notch their first true resume building win, but came up short after a mediocre finish to the first half. They were tied at 14 after the second media timeout, but it was all Purdue after that.

Must Read: MSU Basketball: 5 bold predictions for month of February

Senior guard Eron Harris went down with an ugly leg injury which Tom Izzo has since stated is a knee sprain which could sideline him for a while.

Michigan State struggled mightily to slow down Caleb Swanigan and Isaac Haas in the post as the two did whatever they wanted all game long. They combined for 42 points and 20 rebounds as Swanigan finished with yet another double-double. They were a combined 15-for-23 from the floor and 11-for-12 from the free throw line.

That was the major difference in this one.

Take a look at the top performers from Saturday’s loss for Michigan State.

Three Stars

After a rough first half, Miles Bridges rebounded to keep the Spartans from getting blown out completely in the second. He finished with 14 points and nine rebounds with three assists. However, his four turnovers hurt once again.

Alvin Ellis III shot the ball well once again and finished with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting and even pulled down five rebounds. If he can continue to shoot like this, the loss of Harris won’t hurt as bad.

Matt McQuaid got some confidence back, scoring 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting. He made three 3-pointers and looked like his old self.

Highlight (Yes, just one)

Related Story: MSU Basketball: Eron Harris suffers scary leg injury

What’s Next?

With the loss, the Spartans drop to 16-11 on the year and 8-6 in conference play. Michigan State will host Nebraska on Thursday for a chance to bounce back from this tough loss and improve to 17-11 on the year. Beating the Cornhuskers will be crucial.

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