Spartans in control for 10th win in row

Nick Ward had 16 points and 11 rebounds to lead No. 6 Michigan State to a 71-56 win over Penn State on Sunday in State College, Pa.

Matt McQuaid added 15 points and Cassius Winston chipped in 11 for the Spartans (15-2, 6-0 Big Ten), who have won 10 straight. They also beat the Nittany Lions (7-10, 0-6) for the 10th consecutive time.

Kenny Goins added 10 rebounds for the Spartans, who trailed for only 10 seconds of the game and led by as many as 21 with 6:44 to play.

None of that seemed to impress coach Tom Izzo, however.

“Maybe we’re all talking too much about how good we are,” Izzo said. “We’re not that good.”

But the Spartans were good enough to take control just over five minutes into the first half with a relentless possession.

Fueled by a pair of offensive rebounds from Goins and Xavier Tillman, the Spartans controlled the ball for nearly 40 seconds and took the lead for good when Winston pinpointed a bounce pass through traffic to Goins, who finished with a right-handed dunk. Goins’ jam sparked a 28-14 run for the Spartans, who led 40-24 at halftime.

Lamar Stevens led Penn State (7-10, 0-6) with 20 points.

Gamecocks stay perfect in SEC: No one else might have believed in South Carolina as they entered Southeastern Conference play as the only team with a losing record, but Gamecocks coach Frank Martin made sure his team didn’t lose faith.

Keyshawn Bryant scored 15 points and Chris Silva added 14 points as South Carolina (8-7, 3-0 SEC) continued its surprising league start with an 85-75 win over Missouri on Sunday. It’s only the third time in 28 seasons the Gamecocks have won their first three SEC games.

“Young guys, man,” Frank Martin said when asked what has happened to a South Carolina team that went 5-7 in nonconference with losses to Stony Brook and Wofford. “Being a good team is not like flipping a light switch.”