COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP

Big Ten women

Michigan State 74, Maryland 69:

Captains Julia Ayrault and Moira Joiner have been driving forces behind what the Michigan State women’s basketball team has done so far this season under new coach Robyn Fralick.

And the graduate students helped power the Spartans to a key early Big Ten home victory Tuesday in East Lansing.

Ayrault and Joiner combined for 20 points in the final quarter.

Ayrault had her third double-double of the season and finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds and Joiner had 20 points, four rebounds and four assists to help the Spartans rebound from last week’s narrow loss to Iowa and end a seven-game losing streak to perennial Big Ten power Maryland.

MAC men

Central Michigan 80, Eastern Michigan 64: The visiting Chips scored 30 points in the first 12:03 of the second half while holding the Eagles to 12 points to blow open a two-point game at the half. Anthony Pritchard fueled the run, in which CMU shot 12-for-19, with eight points en route to 12 points and Derrick Butler, Brian Taylor and Markus Harding led the Chips with 17 points apiece. For EMU, Tyson Acuff struggled for the second straight game, as the Detroit Cass Tech alumnus hit just six of 19 shots en route to 13 points. Orlando Lovejoy led the Eagles with 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting and Julius Ellerbe added 15 points in 21 minutes Next up, the Chips (7-8, 2-1 MAC) host Kent State at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Eagles (8-7, 1-2), meanwhile, visit Miami at 1 p.m. Saturday in Oxford, Ohio.

Western Michigan 95, Northern Illinois 90 (OT):

The host Broncos went on a 9-0 run over 2:15 late in the second half to complete a comeback from a 15-point halftime deficit. Quaran McPherson hit three free throws and Owen Lobsinger and Seth Hubard combined for three points in the final 67 seconds to send the game in Kalamazoo to an unlikely overtime, especially after NIU shot 58.1% in the first half. The Huskies grabbed an early lead in OT, but

WMU fought back as B.Artis White gave the Broncos the lead twice in the final 2:16, including for the final time on a pair of free throws with 1:53 remaining. White led the Broncos with 25 points on 8-fgor-14 shooting while Seth Hubbard chipped in 21 points and Javonte Brown had 16. David Coit, a 2022-23 All-Mac third-teamer led the Huskies with 32 points and added 10 assists and three rebounds. The Broncos (6-9, 3-0) will go for their fifth straight win with a visit from Ohio at noon Saturday.