Huge second half powers Michigan State past Nebraska

Jaden Akins scored a game-high 18 points to lead host Michigan State to an 89-52 win over Nebraska in East Lansing on Saturday in a Big Ten contest.

Akins went 4 of 8 from 3-point range to help lead the attack for the Spartans (8-2, 2-0 Big Ten), who have won three straight and six of their last seven.

Jase Richardson came off of the bench and scored 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field. Xavier Booker scored 11 points and Jaxon Kohler added eight points and 12 rebounds to flank Akins for Michigan State.

The Spartans shot 51.8 percent from the field overall (29 of 56), 39.1 percent from 3-point range (9 of 23) and made 22 of 23 free-throw attempts.

The Spartans also dominated the glass, outrebounding the Cornhuskers by a 48-19 margin. The rebounding advantage and hot shooting helped Michigan State overcome 17 turnovers.

Andrew Morgan came off the bench to score 14 points and Brice Williams added 11 for Nebraska (6-2, 0-1), which shot 4 of 22 (18.2 percent) from 3-point range.

Michigan State held a 41-31 lead at halftime before turning the game into a rout in the second half, when it outscored Nebraska 48-21. The Spartans outscored the Cornhuskers 27-3 over a span of 9:46 to take a 68-34 lead with 10:14 remaining in the game.

Booker sank a 3-pointer at that time on the clock to finish off a 25-1 run, a stretch when Nebraska didn't make a field goal over a span of 8:37.

Michigan State stretched its lead to 40 at 81-41 with 5:57 remaining following a basket by Richardson.

Leading 15-13 in the first half, Michigan State went on a 9-0 run to take a 24-13 lead with 7:36 remaining until halftime.

Michigan State held a 37-24 lead before Nebraska scored seven straight points to cut its deficit to 37-31 with 1:15 to go in the first half.

--Field Level Media