January 30, 1999

Box Score

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Andre Hutson, who scored a total of 13 points in his five previous games, had 14 as No. 8 Michigan State beat Northwestern 65-48 Saturday night.

Hutson, who was scoreless in two of those five games, also pulled down eight rebounds as the Spartans won their seventh straight game. Morris Peterson had 11 points for Michigan State.

Evan Eschmeyer had 15 points and nine rebounds for Northwestern (12-6, 4-4 Big Ten), which had its three-game winning streak snapped.

The Spartans (18-4, 7-1) remained atop the Big Ten standings with their 14th win in their last 15 games. Michigan State has lost only once in its last 23 home games against Northwestern and the Spartans are 9-0 against the Wildcats at the Breslin Center.

Hutson ended a Michigan State drought of more than five minutes when he scored on a layup with 8:20 left. Northwestern had scored nine straight points to cut a 20-point Michigan State lead to 50-39 on a pair of free throws by Eschmeyer.

The Spartans dominated the first half and led 39-23 at the break.

Northwestern committed 14 first-half turnovers, 10 of them on steals by Michigan State, and the Spartans converted them into 18 points. Michigan State turned the ball over twice in the first half.

The Spartans broke a 10-10 tie with a 16-0 run that was capped by Jason Klein's jumper with 8:45 left. Hutson and Peterson each had four points in the spurt.

Eschmeyer, who came into the game as the only Division I player averaging in double figures in both scoring and rebounding, had only four points and four rebounds in the first half.