Spartans rally to beat the Wildcats

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo had a simple request after his team staged one of the biggest rallies in NCAA history: Try not to make it a 28-point comeback next time.

Cassius Winston scored 17 points, and the secondranked Spartans rallied from 27 down on Saturday to beat Northwestern 65-60 and extend its winning streak to 10 games.

Nick Ward added 15 points and 10 rebounds. Miles Bridges hit four free throws in the final minute, and the visiting Spartans (26-3, 14-2 Big Ten) used a huge second half to pull out the win when they looked like they were headed to a stunning blowout loss.

Vic Law cooled off after a blistering start to finish with 21 points, and Northwestern (15-13, 6-9) made only three of 26 field goals in the second half.

at Baylor 59, No. 7 Texas Tech 57: Terry Maston scored 24 points and the Bears beat the Red Raiders, ending Texas Tech’s sevengame winning streak after the Big 12 leaders lost top scorer Keenan Evans to a foot injury in the first half.

Maston, who finished two points shy of his career high set in the previous game against Texas, hit the goahead shot with 1:26 remaining as the Bears continued their push for the NCAA tournament with a fifth straight win following a 2-7 start in the rugged conference.

at South Carolina 84, No. 10 Auburn 75: Frank Booker scored 19 points, andthe Gamecocks built a 26-point lead before holding on to defeat the Tigers, ending South Carolina’s six-game losing streak.

Auburn won seven of its last eight and was a heavy favorite to keep that going at South Carolina. Instead, the Gamecocks used a 21-1 run in the first half on the way to a 37-11 lead.

No. 3 Villanova 95, at No. 4 Xavier 79: Mikal Bridges led an early three-point shooting spurt that put the Wildcats in control, and Villanova showed that it’s not ready to relinquish its reign in the Big East, beating Musketeers in a showdown for the league lead.