No. 8 Michigan State beats Iowa at B10 tournament
March 16th, 2013 by Ric Hanson
CHICAGO (AP) — Adreian Payne had 18 points and 10 rebounds, leading 8th ranked Michigan State to a rugged 59-56 victory over Iowa in the Big Ten quarterfinals on Friday night. Keith Appling and Gary Harris had 13 points apiece for the Spartans (25-7), who trailed by 12 midway through the second half. They advance to play Ohio State in the next round in a rematch of last season’s tournament championship, won by Michigan State.
Iowa (21-12) was oh so close to an upset victory that could have cemented a spot in the field for next week’s NCAA tournament. Instead, the Hawkeyes will have to sweat out a nervous Selection Sunday. Mike Gesell led the way with nine points for the Hawkeyes, who failed to have any players score in double figures in Chicago.