Nebraska 79, Michigan State 77: Terran Petteway scored a season-high 32 points as the Cornhuskers held off the Spartans to win for the fourth time in five tries.

Shavon Shields added 21 points and seven rebounds for Nebraska (12-7, 4-3 Big Ten), which improved to 24-4 at home since moving into Pinnacle Bank Arena before the start of last season. Tai Webster chipped in with 13 points as the Cornhuskers went 29-of-37 from the foul line to defeat the Spartans for the second consecutive year.

Travis Trice scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half for Michigan State (13-7, 4-3), which fell for the second time in three games despite generating 24 second-chance points off 24 offensive boards and winning the battle on the glass 48-26. Branden Dawson matched a career high with 18 rebounds (eight offensive) while Denzel Valentine posted his second double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 boards.

Michigan State survived a fast start from Nebraska and pulled within two on a jumper from Valentine with 7 1/2 minutes left in the first half, but managed only two more field goals before the break, allowing the Cornhuskers to build a 14-point halftime edge behind 28 combined points from Petteway and Shields. Nebraska’s advantage swelled to 17 twice early in the second half before Trice nailed two 3-pointers and scored eight points during a 13-2 surge to rally the Spartans within 47-41.

The Cornhuskers, who gave up 12 second-chance points over the first eight minutes of the second half, got all their points from Petteway and Shields during an 11-2 answer that stretched the margin back to 15 with 7 1/2 minutes left. The Spartans nearly erased a 14-point deficit with less than four minutes left, storming back behind 22 combined points from Trice and Valentine to close within two with three seconds left, but Nebraska’s 14-of-18 shooting from the foul line over the final 2 ½ minutes proved to be the difference.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Cornhuskers, who announced before the game that starting F David Rivers would miss the next 1-2 weeks with a knee strain, lost F Walter Pitchford less than four minutes into the game when he was charged with a flagrant-2 foul for elbowing Michigan State F Matt Costello. … The Spartans lost for only the fifth time since the 1997-98 season when collecting at least 20 offensive rebounds. … Michigan State’s offensive rebound total was its highest since grabbing 24 against North Carolina on Nov. 11, 2011.