BIG TEN MSU gets lift from defense

The No. 19 Spartans knocked off Minnesota.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MINNEAPOLIS -- Alan Anderson scored 13 points -- 11 from the foul line -- as No. 19 Michigan State defeated Minnesota 69-55 on Saturday.
Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown each added 12 points for the Spartans (12-3, 4-1 Big Ten), who played their usual stifling defense and won their second straight since a 62-59 loss at Wisconsin last Sunday.
Jeff Hagen, the Gophers' second-leading scorer and emotional leader, made a surprising appearance on his sprained left knee and finished with 16 points. Aaron Robinson added 12 points, and Vince Grier had 10 for Minnesota (13-5, 3-2).
No. 23 Iowa 71, Purdue 57
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Greg Brunner and Doug Thomas each scored 14 points to help Iowa bounce back from a loss to top-ranked Illinois.
After a sluggish start, the Hawkeyes (14-4, 2-3 Big Ten) built an 18-point halftime lead and were never threatened in the second half.
Carl Landry led the Boilermakers (4-12, 0-6) with 16 points and eight rebounds, and David Teague chipped in 11 points, including three 3-pointers.
No. 24 Wisconsin 72, Michigan 61
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Mike Wilkinson had 28 points and a career-high 15 rebounds to help the Badgers win for the eighth time in nine games.
The Badgers (13-3, 4-1 Big Ten) led by just five at halftime but opened the second half with an 11-2 run. Their next game is against No. 1 Illinois on Tuesday at home, where they have won 38 straight games -- the longest home winning streak in Division I.
Daniel Horton scored 16 points for the Wolverines (12-7, 3-2) before injuring his right leg with 1:55 left.
Reserve Kammron Taylor scored 13 for the Badgers, who had lost 19 of their previous 20 games at Michigan, including all three under coach Bo Ryan.
Dion Harris scored 16 while Courtney Sims and Brent Petway each scored 10 for Michigan, which fell to 2-3 against ranked teams.
Penn St. 65, Northwestern 62
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Danny Morrissey scored 16 points and Mike Walker had 15 and hit a 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining to help preserve Penn State's win.
Geary Claxton and Travis Parker each contributed 13 points to help the Nittany Lions (7-11, 1-4 Big Ten) to their first Big Ten win since a 63-61 overtime victory over the Wildcats last Jan 28.
Northwestern (8-9, 1-4) went on a late 14-3 run, with Davor Duvancic contributing six points, to cut the lead to 63-62 with three seconds to play, but Parker hit two free throws to preserve the victory.
Northwestern was led by Vedran Vukusic's 17 points. The Wildcats also got 14 points from Vince Scott, 12 from Mohamed Hachad and 11 from Duvancic.