BLACKBOARD » Winston had 21 points and 10 assists for the Sparta

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Alex Murphy made a 3-pointer from the corner, and a handful of fans behind the Northeastern bench could sense an upset was near.Lets go Huskies! they began chanting, while the rest of the Breslin Center stayed mostly quiet.I think it was the hockey team, Murphy said.Murphy scored 18 points, and the Huskies capped a big day for Northeastern athletics with an 81-73 upset at Michigan State on Sunday night. The game was part of a tripleheader in East Lansing between the schools. Michigan State won the womens basketball game 78-44, and Northeastern beat the Spartans 6-2 in mens hockey.It was the second head-turning upset of the season for the Huskies in mens basketball. They won at Connecticut last month. In between that game and this one, Northeastern (6-5) lost to the likes of LIU Brooklyn, Cornell and Stony Brook.I tell my guys each and every year that we want to compete against the very best that the country has to offer, to make sure that we can measure ourselves and get better, Northeastern coach Bill Coen said. We want to compete against national championship-caliber programs, and thats what Michigan State is and always has been.Cassius Winston had 21 points and 10 assists for the Spartans (7-5), who trailed 36-32 at halftime and could never take control.Michigan State went on a 17-4 run in the second half and led 51-45 before T.J. Williams made a 3-pointer, snapping a string of nine straight missed field goals by Northeastern. The Huskies took the lead back before too long, and with the score 64-61, the 6-foot-8 Murphy made a layup followed by his big 3-pointer from in front of the Northeastern bench, making it an eight-point game with 2:47 remaining.That was when the Northeastern fans started chanting.BIG PICTURENortheastern: The Huskies are certainly a hard team to figure out. Theyve now beaten a couple big-name programs -- although UConn and Michigan State arent exactly at their best right now. Northeastern showed impressive resolve, recovering nicely from a rough stretch in the second half and eventually closing the game out comfortably.Michigan State: The Spartans were without freshman standout Miles Bridges, who missed his fourth straight game with a left ankle injury. Michigan State let this game get away from the 3-point line, where Northeastern went 11 of 23 and the Spartans were only 5 of 16. Michigan State was held to single-digit margins in home wins this month against Oral Roberts and Tennessee Tech, and this time the Spartans were victimized by an upset.PLAYING TIMEMichigan States Eron Harris played only 23 minutes. Coach Tom Izzo was blunt when asked repeatedly about Harris playing time in the postgame news conference.Why are you concerned about Harris? (He was) sitting next to me because he didnt play very good -- period. So I dont know what the deal is, Izzo said. I dont mean to jump you about it, but you want to know why he didnt? He didnt guard, he didnt play very hard, he didnt play very smart, he took a couple bad shots, and he wasnt playing the way he has to play.CLEAVES ON HANDFormer Michigan State star Mateen Cleaves was at the game, less than two weeks after a judge dismissed sex charges against him. Cleaves was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2015, but charges were dismissed Dec. 5.In the Michigan State locker room after the game, Cleaves would not comment on the case.UP NEXTNortheastern: The Huskies have another game in Michigan coming up Tuesday night when they play at Oakland.Michigan State: The Spartans next game is also against Oakland, on Wednesday night in East Lansing. Thats Michigan States last game before starting Big Ten play.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 .---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister Custom Browns T-shirts . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Wholesale Custom Browns Shirts . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. http://www.custombrownsjersey.com/ . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. Authentic Custom Browns Jersey . Their experience showed Tuesday as the No. 10 Badgers blunted a Saint Louis surge to win 63-57 and advance to face West Virginia in Wednesdays finals of the Cancun Challenge. Custom Browns Jersey China . Andrew Luck lost his favourite target and the Indianapolis locker room lost one of its most revered leaders when Reggie Wayne was diagnosed Monday with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that will cost him the rest of the season. Mercedes technical chief Paddy Lowe could be set for a shock switch to Williams at the end of 2016, according to a report in Motorsport.com.Executive director (technical) Lowes future has been the subject of speculation for several months with his current deal expiring on December 31. The team is currently searching for a new driver following Nico Rosbergs shock retirement and now faces the prospect of also needing to replace a key member of staff before the start of the 2017 season.The report states Lowe has indicated he will accept Williams offer, which may see him work alongside current technical chief Pat Symonds as he transitions into retirement from Formula One after a lengthy career in the sport. The expiry date of Lowes contract means he may not have to serve any period of gardening leave, though it is unclear whether he has any clauses preventing him switching to a rivaal immediately afterwards.ddddddddddddA Williams spokesperson declined to comment on the speculation when contacted by ESPN.The move would be a massive coup for Williams after struggling with the development of its 2016 car, which saw it lose out to the less-resourced Force India in the battle for fourth position. Claire Williams has already suggested a revamp of the teams current operation by saying the 2017 role of Rob Smedley, the current head of vehicle performance, is currently being unclear.After three years of dominating the sport the Mercedes role would be as high-profile as the Rosberg seat currently vacant. Former Ferrari technical chief James Allison, who left Maranello mid-way through 2016, looks to be the early front-runner for the job.? ' ' '