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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
CHICAGO (AP) -- Defense, that's Wisconsin's game. It's Michigan
State's, too.
|  | | Mateen Cleaves shot poorly but finished with 13 points and seven assists. |
On Saturday in the Big Ten tournament semifinals, the Spartans (No. 4 ESPN/USA Today, No. 5 AP) played it better.
"It's a strange world and shots are not always going to go in.
One thing you can do is go out and give great effort and play great
defense," Michigan State guard Mateen Cleaves said after sparking
the Spartans past the Badgers 55-46.
"If you can stop a team, you are going to win. We feed off our
defense."
The Spartans (25-7) watched as the Badgers, who led the Big Ten
in scoring defense this season, cut a 19-point deficit to five in
the closing minutes.
Then State clamped down. And in final 5:29, Wisconsin couldn't
make a basket against the suffocating State defense.
"We said, 'We need to step it up, here comes the real
Wisconsin,"' Cleaves said. "I was thinking we need to run some
plays and get some open shots and get the ball to Mo (Maurice
Peterson)."
Cleaves had four points and a nice feed to Peterson in the
closing minutes and now the Spartans face a rematch in the title
game against Illinois, which beat Penn State 94-84 in Saturday's
first semifinal.
Michigan State beat Illinois 67-50 in last year's league tournament
finals and used it as springboard for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA
Tournament, which it parlayed into a trip to the Final Four.
"We just have to worry about our own stuff and doing what we've
always done -- defense and rebounding," said Peterson, who led
the Spartans with 18 points. Michigan State pounded Illinois 91-66 in the regular
season.
Cleaves scored 13 Saturday -- shooting just 5-of-13 -- and had
seven assists, and Andre Hutson added 10 points and eight rebounds.
Wisconsin (18-13), confident it will get a bid to the NCAA
Tournament, had beaten Northwestern and Purdue on Thursday and
Friday but didn't have enough to stop the Spartans.
"We got it down to five but we just ran out of clock," Badgers
guard Duany Duany said. "We wanted to make some noise in this
tournament. We did that. I thought we did a good job of getting
back and making them earn their shots."
Leading 34-21 at the half, Michigan State looked like it would
run away in the first five minutes of the second as Cleaves hit a
jumper, Hutson scored six straight points and Peterson swooped in
for a driving layup after a steal and feed from Cleaves.
That made it 44-25.
"We were all pretty upset when were down 19. We feel we were a
better team than that and we wanted to show it," Wisconsin guard
Mike Kelley said.
"We looked at each other and said: 'Let's get going. This is
enough."'
So back came the Badgers. Duany made two 3-pointers, the second
capping a 15-2 run that brought Wisconsin within 46-40 with 9:07
left.
Peterson hit a 3-pointer, but the Badgers scrapped back again
and Andy Kowske's follow shot made it 49-44 with 5:29 to go. That
would be Wisconsin's last basket.
Cleaves hit two free throws after he was fouled in the lane and
then drove for a basket with 3:40 to go to push the lead to seven.
And after Mark Vershaw missed a layup, Cleaves fed Peterson, who
was fouled and hit two free throws, giving State a nine-point lead
with 2:40 left.
Wisconsin's only points in the final 4:07 came on two free
throws by Vershaw, who led the Badgers with 11 points, but shot
just 4-of-14.
"You have to be prepared to play defense against them because
they play it well," Cleaves said. "You have to be prepared for
them to be in your face for 40 minutes."
Or as Peterson put it: "You have to be ready to check and be
checked."
The Spartans used their superior quickness to beat the Badgers
to loose balls in the first half. Cleaves put the State ahead 34-21
at the half when he banked in a jumper just before the buzzer.
The Spartans also beat Wisconsin 56-41 in the tournament
semifinals last year and then won both regular-season meetings this
season, by 17 in Madison and by five in East Lansing.
Peterson played in his 130th game, passing Antonio Smith for the
Michigan State career lead.
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Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
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Michigan State Clubhouse
Illini ride solid second half past Penn State
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