No. 7 Michigan State escapes Rutgers with overtime victory after erasing 12point deficit in second half Andy BackstromJanuary 28, 2026 at 3:11 AM 0 No. 7 Michigan State escapes Rutgers with overtime victory after erasing 12point deficit in second half Rutgers forced No. 7 Michigan State into a halfcourt game Tuesday night in Jersey Mike's Arena. The Spartans came averaging 17.3 fastbreak points per game — good for 12th nationally — and had only two of those by intermission.
- - No. 7 Michigan State escapes Rutgers with overtime victory after erasing 12-point deficit in second half
Andy BackstromJanuary 28, 2026 at 3:11 AM
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No. 7 Michigan State escapes Rutgers with overtime victory after erasing 12-point deficit in second half
Rutgers forced No. 7 Michigan State into a halfcourt game Tuesday night in Jersey Mike's Arena. The Spartans came averaging 17.3 fastbreak points per game — good for 12th nationally — and had only two of those by intermission.
They found themselves down 12 with 9:39 remaining in regulation against a Rutgers team hovering near the bottom of the Big Ten standings and four days removed from a 23-point home loss to Indiana.
What looked like a potential trap game on the schedule, which features a Friday night showdown with No. 3 Michigan in East Lansing, was playing out as such.
Jeremy Fears Jr. had other plans.
The redshirt sophomore guard inspired a Spartans comeback that resulted in a 88-79 overtime win. Fears scored 27 of his season-high 29 points over the course of the second half and extra frame. He also clocked out with nine assists, two shy of Rutgers' team total.
Fears delivered his most memorable dime in the final seconds of regulation. He started to penetrate before firing a pass to the left wing, where Divine Ugochukwu hit the game-tying 3 with 11.1 ticks left.
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CLUTCH THREE FOR THE SPARTANS! @MSU_Basketball Divine Ugochukwu drains it, and we have OT in Piscataway! pic.twitter.com/p4IGO7QVpx
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 28, 2026
Michigan State (19-2, 9-1 Big Ten) went on to preserve its now-seven-game win streak, denying the Scarlet Knights (9-12, 2-8) their sixth top-10 win under head coach Steve Pikiell.
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Source: "AOL Sports"
Source: Sports
Published: January 27, 2026 at 09:27PM on Source: PRIME TIME
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