UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (AP) — Grace VanSlooten recorded her fifth double-double of the season, Jalyn Brown scored 16 points and Rashunda Jones added 14 in No. 12 Michigan State’s come-from-behind 81-70 win over Penn State on Saturday afternoon.
VanSlooten was the leading scorer for the Spartans (20-4, 9-4 Big Ten), with 20 points and 14 rebounds. She shot 9 of 18 from the field. Kennedy Blair added 12 points.
Kiyomi McMiller scored a career-high 37 points for Penn State (8-16, 1-12) on 16 of 33 shooting. She was 3 of 4 from beyond the arc and 2 of 4 from the free throw line. Freshman Tea Cleante added 10 points for the Nittany Lions.
The Nittany Lions took their largest lead of the game in the second quarter, up 45-29 off a 6-0 run. The Spartans scored the final two buckets of the half to cut the deficit to 45-33. After the break, Michigan State went on a 16-0 run to close out the third quarter and take a 54-52 lead, holding Penn State scoreless for over six minutes.
McMiller scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, but Michigan State led by double digits over the final three minutes.
Michigan State’s 16-point comeback is its largest since 2005, when the Spartans beat Tennessee 68-64 to advance to the national championship.
Up nextMichigan State: Visits No. 2 UCLA on Wednesday.
Penn State: Visits No. 22 Maryland on Thursday.
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