Akins scores 20 points as No. 16 Michigan State overwhelms Washington 88-54

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Jaden Akins scored 20 points and No. 16 Michigan State extended its winning streak to eight games by rolling past Washington, 88-54 on Thursday night.

Jeremy Fears Jr. had his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 assists for Michigan State (14-2, 4-0 Big Ten), which pulled even with archrival Michigan for the conference lead. Jase Richardson scored 12 points and Tre Holloman added 11 points and six assists.

The Spartans didn’t allow a basket for more than 10 minutes to begin the game and led 42-13 at halftime.

Tyler Harris scored 14 points for the Huskies (10-6, 1-4), who missed their first 14 shots. Great Osobor, who was averaging a team-high 14.3 points, went 0 for 8 from the field while scoring six points.

Takeaways

Washington: The Huskies were playing their first road game since Dec. 3 and looked rattled by the Spartans’ energetic defense and loud capacity crowd.

Michigan State: The Spartans rely on scoring from a variety of sources. All but one of the 10 players who saw action before halftime scored before the break. They are the lone Top 25 team with only one player (Akins) averaging double figures.

Key moment

Washington pulled within 12 points with less than eight minutes left in the opening half. Frankie Fidler then made a corner 3-pointer to start a 12-2 Spartans run that effectively ensured a blowout.

Key stat

The Huskies led for only nine seconds. They also committed four turnovers before KC Ibekwe’s follow shot with 9:35 remaining in the first half.

Up next

Washington remains in the state to play Michigan in Ann Arbor on Sunday, while Michigan State goes on the road to face Northwestern on Sunday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball