No. 6 Purdue Downs Slumping No. 10 Michigan State 76-64

East Lansing, MI (Sports Network) – E’Twaun Moore scored a game-best 25 points to go along with six assists, as sixth-ranked Purdue downed slumping No. 10 Michigan State, 76-64, in a key conference clash at the Breslin Center.

JaJuan Johnson added 19 points and seven rebounds, and Robbie Hummel donated 15 points for the Boilermakers (20-3, 8-3 Big Ten), who moved within a half- game of the surging Illinois Fighting Illini and downward-spiraling Michigan State in the Big Ten standings.

Chris Allen scored 21 points and Kalin Lucas, in his return from a sprained right ankle, added 12 points, but dished out just one assist for the Spartans (19-6, 9-3), who have lost three straight conference games and lost for the first time at home this season.

The Spartans went just over six minutes without a point as Purdue reeled off 13 straight points to take a double-digit lead. Johnson’s jumper just before the 12-minute mark tied the game at 17 and 11 points later Johnson’s slam opened a 28-17 margin with a little more than seven minutes on the clock.

Hummel’s slam with 1:39 left made the score 39-27, and Purdue held a 47-33 lead at the half as Hummel’s trey came just before the horn.

Johnson’s bucket opened Purdue’s biggest lead at 51-33 with just under 17 1/2 minutes on the clock, and despite edging back into the game, the Spartans still stared up at an 11-point hole after Moore’s two free throws for a 61-50 game with 8:18 on the clock.

With the margin at 65-54, the Spartans came at the Boilermakers one last time with eight straight points capped by Allen’s trey for a one-possession game, 65-62. However, Moore drained a three-pointer out of a timeout and Hummel’s reverse layup restored order at 70-62 and Purdue held on for the crucial road win.

Michigan State made just 25 percent of its shots in the second half and shot only 32.1 percent for the game…The Boilermakers made 56.8 percent of their shots.