BOSTON (AP) Denzel Valentine scored 17 points and No. 1 Michigan State beat Northeastern 78-58 on Saturday to improve to 12-0 this season.
The Spartans trailed by five midway through the first half before recovering in their first game against Northeastern. The Huskies (7-4) sold out the century-old Matthews Arena for the first time in two decades but couldn't hold on for their second victory over a ranked team this season.
Bryn Forbes scored 12 for Michigan State and Valentine added six assists and five rebounds.
Zach Stahl scored 18 with seven rebounds and David Walker had 13 with eight assists for Northeastern, which beat then-No. 15 Miami on Nov. 27.
Built in 1910, Matthews Arena hosted the first games in franchise history for both the Bruins and Celtics along with receptions for Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart and rallies for both Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt. More recently, though, it has been more likely to sell out for a hockey game against crosstown rival Boston University than a men's basketball game.
That changed with ''Winter Showdown,'' a weekend that included women's basketball on Friday night, when Michigan State won 77-51. The arena crew was standing by to remove the basketball floor for the hockey teams to meet on Saturday night.
But first, the Huskies had to face the top-ranked team in the nation in what didn't figure to be a competitive game but kept the red- and black-wearing fans standing well into the second half.
Northeastern led by five, 15-10, with 11 minutes left in the half, but Gavin Schilling had a dunk, Valentine followed with a 3-pointer to tie it and Tum Tum Nairn Jr. hit a jumper to give the Spartans the lead. Walker's jumper tied it 17-all for Northeastern before Michigan State scored 10 of the next 12 points, and then scored the last five points of the half to take a 34-25 lead into the break.
The Spartans nursed a double-digit lead for much of the second, but the Huskies struggled from the free-throw line, where they were 12 of 23, and from the bench, where they were outscored 27-5.
TIP-INS
Michigan State: The Spartans matched the best start in school history. They also opened the 2000-01 season 12-0 before losing to Indiana.
Northeastern: The Huskies beat three ranked teams in the 1985-86 season, when Reggie Lewis led them into The Associated Press Top 25. They then lost 18 straight games against ranked teams before beating the Hurricanes 78-77 on Nov. 27.
UP NEXT
Michigan State: Plays Oakland on Tuesday before its Big Ten schedule starts a week later against Iowa.
Northeastern: Hosts Vermont on Tuesday.
