big ten roundup \ Saturday’s games

January 3, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

No. 11 Michigan State 91, No. 25 Northwestern 70

EVANSTON, Ill. — Kalin Lucas scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half Michigan State pulled away. Michigan State (11-3) used its speed, depth and a 12-0 run to build a big second-half lead and win its Big Ten opener. Northwestern (10-3, 0-2) lost its second straight since breaking into the Top 25 for the first time since 1969. Durrell Summers and Raymar Morgan added 17 points each for the Spartans, who shot 57 percent for the game. John Shurna led Northwestern with 29 points, tying his career high.

Gonzaga 85, Illinois 83

CHICAGO — Steven Gray scored 20 points, Elias Harris and Robert Sacre added 19 apiece and Gonzaga rallied to beat Illinois after blowing a big lead. Harris scored on a reverse layup with 12 seconds left in overtime to break an 83-83 tie. Illinois’ Brandon Paul then missed a 3-pointer, preserving the win for Gonzaga (11-3). Illinois trailed by as many as 21 in the first half and led by eight in the second but needed a 3-pointer by Dominique Keller in the closing seconds of regulation after a miss by Demetri McCamey to tie it 79-79. In overtime, Paul and McCamey each hit a pair of free throws to make it 83-80 before Matt Bouldin (18 points) tied it at 83 with 1:34 left. Harris then hit the go-ahead layup, sending Gonzaga to its second victory in three days. Keller scored 22 points for Illinois (9-5), including a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation. McCamey added 20, but the Illini couldn’t pull this one out after making the big rally and then watching an eight-point lead disappear.

Minnesota 86, Iowa 74

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Blake Hoffarber scored 24 points, two shy of his career high, and Minnesota pounded struggling Iowa for its seventh straight win. Damian Johnson added 13 points and four blocks for the Gophers (11-3, 2-0 Big Ten), who raced out to a 45-20 lead and cruised to their first true road win of the season. Minnesota jumped ahead by 13 just four minutes into the game and led by as much as 25 midway through the first half. Hoffarber had 17 points in the first half, hitting four 3s. Minnesota seemed right at home in just their second road game of the season. The Gophers forced Iowa into a season-high 25 turnovers — including a staggering 18 in the first half — and led by at least 12 points the entire second half. Matt Gatens had 14 points and nine rebounds for Iowa (5-9, 0-2).

Associated Press