EAST LANSING — Goran Suton had a career-high 20 rebounds and scored 15 points and Raymar Morgan added 20 points to help No. 10 Michigan State beat Oakland 75-71 on Saturday.
Suton grabbed 11 offensive rebounds, snaring nearly as many of his team's misses as Oakland did. Morgan was 8-for-10 from the field.
The Spartans (4-1) trailed 25-18 with 5:47 left in the first half before using a 15-2 run to take a 33-27 edge at the break. Drew Neitzel began the run with a 3-pointer, and Durell Summers and Suton each had four points in the critical stretch.
Brandon Cassise led Oakland (2-3) with 20 points, including five 3-point baskets. Derick Nelson added 19 points and nine rebounds.
But the Grizzlies were a different team from the one that trailed the Spartans 40-13 at halftime last year. Oakland never fell behind by double digits and trailed by three in the closing seconds, despite not having its best shooter, Erik Kangas, who was out with a shoulder injury.
The Spartans scored their last 12 points at the foul line.
Neitzel, a preseason All-American, was just 3-for-9 from the field but scored Michigan State's last four points at the line.
Jones added 10 points for Oakland but was 4-for-16 from the field. He made up for that with seven assists, zero turnovers and solid defense.
The Spartans had a 41-33 edge on the boards, despite allowing the Grizzlies to grab 20 offensive rebounds. Michigan State, which has led the Big Ten in rebounding eight times in the last 10 years, also allowed 22 offensive boards in a loss to No. 2 UCLA Tuesday.
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