Northwestern Wildcats @ Michigan State Spartans
| 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 32 | 61 | |
MSU | 22 | 35 | 57 |
No. 20 Michigan State falls 61-57 in Big Ten opener
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State scored the first five points but Northwestern rallied with a 14-2 run and held on to upset the 20th-ranked Spartans 61-57 in a Big Ten Conference opener on Sunday.
Nia Coffey scored 15 points and Christen Inman added 13 as the Wildcats (11-1, 1-0) beat the defending conference champions despite 38 percent shooting, being outrebounded 51-39, and outscored in nearly every category.
That's because Michigan State (8-4, 0-1) hit just 29 percent of its shots -- and just 9 of 37 in the first half. Becca Mills scored 21 with 16 rebounds, but shot just 8 of 20. Aerial Powers added 10 points, 13 boards.
Northwestern won 10 straight to open the season, its longest streak since 1995.
The Spartans closed to within 57-54 when Mills scored on a layup after a Michigan State timeout with 1:47 remaining. But the team wouldn't score again until the game was out of reach.
Game Information
East Lansing, MI
Referee:Cameron Inouye
Referee:Michael Price
Referee:Brian Hall
2025-26 Standings
| Big Ten Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 18-0 | - | 37-1 |
| Michigan | 15-3 | 3 | 28-7 |
| Iowa | 15-3 | 3 | 27-7 |
| Ohio State | 13-5 | 5 | 27-8 |
| Minnesota | 13-5 | 5 | 24-9 |
| Maryland | 11-7 | 7 | 24-9 |
| Michigan State | 11-7 | 7 | 23-9 |
| Washington | 10-8 | 8 | 22-11 |
| Illinois | 9-9 | 9 | 22-12 |
| USC | 9-9 | 9 | 18-14 |
| Oregon | 8-10 | 10 | 23-13 |
| Nebraska | 7-11 | 11 | 19-13 |
| Indiana | 6-12 | 12 | 18-14 |
| Wisconsin | 5-13 | 13 | 16-18 |
| Purdue | 5-13 | 13 | 13-17 |
| Penn State | 4-14 | 14 | 11-18 |
| Northwestern | 2-16 | 16 | 8-21 |
| Rutgers | 1-17 | 17 | 9-20 |
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