EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Chris Thomas scored 22 points, and unheralded Texas Southern beat 25th-ranked Michigan State, outlasting the Spartans 71-64 in overtime Saturday.
The Tigers (2-8) were coming off a 40-point loss to Gonzaga, but coach Mike Davis’ team was poised throughout against Michigan State, becoming the second team this month to score a shocking win in Michigan over a Big Ten team. New Jersey Institute of Technology won at Michigan.
The Spartans (8-4) were without starting forward Branden Dawson, who fractured his wrist in a win over Eastern Michigan earlier in the week. Michigan State needed a free throw by Javon Bess with 6.8 seconds left in regulation just to force overtime, and the Spartans never led in the extra session.
The Spartans came into the game shooting 44 percent from 3-point range, but they went 4 of 21 against Texas Southern of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.