Local Teams

Justin Smith scored a career-high 24 points to lead Indiana to a 63-62 upset over No. 6 Michigan State on Saturday at Bloomington, Ind.

Indiana led only once -- at 2-0 -- before Juwan Morgan's three-point play with 1:46 left gave the Hoosiers a lead they would not relinquish.

Michigan State was dealt a critical blow to its championship hopes in the Big Ten. With just two games remaining, the Spartans (23-6, 14-4 Big Ten) now sit a full game behind Purdue and are tied with Michigan for second place.

The Hoosiers (15-14, 6-12) closed the game on a 12-3 run to pull off the upset as Devonte Green scored 13 to go with Smith's performance.

Cassius Winston scored 20 points and handed out 11 assists for the Spartans, but his final shot from the baseline didn't go down to secure the Indiana win. Kenny Goins added 14 points for Michigan State while Xavier Tillman chipped in 11. Michigan State turned the ball over 14 times while Indiana grabbed 15 offensive rebounds.

Michigan State controlled things for much of the first half, giving up the first bucket then scoring nine straight to force an early Indiana timeout. A quick surge from the Hoosiers was answered as the Spartans eventually went up 18-8 on a Matt McQuaid jumper.

Indiana cut the deficit to 20-15, but Michigan State scored the next seven for its biggest lead of the first half. The Hoosiers pulled within five after their fifth 3-pointer of the half before Michigan State went back up by nine and took a 35-28 lead into the locker room.

The second half started all MSU again and led to a quick Indiana timeout with MSU up 11. The break helped the Hoosiers chip away; even after the Spartans went up 45-35, Indiana followed with a 9-0 run to pull within a point. The Spartans responded with six straight, but the Hoosiers answered with five more and had a chance to pull ahead before a missed triple.

Michigan State freshman Aaron Henry then nailed a 3-pointer from the wing to give the Spartans a 54-49 lead with 7:57 to play. That lead grew to eight, but two more 3-pointers and a lob for the Hoosiers allowed them to pull within three points with 3:20 left in the game.

Indiana also beat Michigan State 79-75 in overtime on Feb. 2.

--Field Level Media