No. 8 Michigan State beats Rutgers 81-74 at MSG behind 20 points from Richardson

NY-NEW YORK (New York) At Madison Square Garden on Saturday, No. 8 Michigan State defeated Rutgers 81-74, paced by a career-high 20 points from freshman guard Jase Richardson, who helped the team win for the 12th time in a row.

Coen Carr grabbed eight rebounds and scored 14 points on 5 of 5 shooting for the Spartans (17-2, 8-0 Big Ten). MSU, the most recent of eight teams to make it to the Final Four under Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo, is now enjoying its best winning streak since a 13-game run in the 2018–19 season.

New York, New York – January 25, 2025: In the second half at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Jaden Akins #3 of the Michigan State Spartans dribbles while Dylan Grant #9 and Jordan Derkack #0 of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights defend.

For Rutgers (10-10, 3-6), Jordan Derkack scored a season-high 26 points off the bench in a home game played in front of 17,480 spectators approximately 38 miles from the school’s New Jersey campus. Ace Bailey finished with nine rebounds and 18 points on 4 of 17 shots.

Dylan Harper, a star for Rutgers, came off the bench for the first time this season despite having a sprained ankle. In 13 minutes, he finished with six points. Harper sustained an injury during Monday’s defeat against Penn State, when he was averaging 19.3 points.

Takeaways

Carr and Richardson, the son of legendary Spartan Jason Richardson, came off a deep bench, which is a huge asset for the Spartans, according to Michigan State. Rutgers reserves were outscored 50-34 by Michigan State’s second unit.

Rutgers: Another poor showing from a resurgent squad that started the season ranked in the AP Top 25 and had two highly regarded rookies and top NBA prospects in Bailey and Harper.

Key moments

With 8:38 remaining, Carr made two soaring, thunderous dunks, one of which put MSU ahead 58-46.

Key stats

Since Tre Holloman entered the starting lineup, Michigan State has a 12-0 record. MSU led for more than 33 minutes and restricted Rutgers to 34% shooting.

Up next

After defeating Minnesota 90-72 on the road in their Big Ten debut on December 4, Michigan State will face Minnesota on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Rutgers will travel to Northwestern.