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EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Denzel Valentine had 25 points and Bryn Forbes scored a season-high 20 to help No. 3 Michigan State come back to beat No. 24 Louisville 71-67 on Tuesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
The Spartans (8-0) trailed by as much as 13 in the first half and took their first lead with 6:47 left.
Valentine later made a tiebreaking 3-pointer, set up Deyonta Davis for an alley-oop dunk and a connected on a shot in the lane to put Michigan State up 65-58 with 1:54 remaining.
Louisville pulled within two in the final minute, but Valentine made free throws to seal the victory.
Damion Lee finished with 23 points and Trey Lewis scored 21 points for the Cardinals (5-1) in their first game this season on an opponent’s home court.
TIP-INS
Louisville: The Cardinals took the lead and kept it for much of the game because they made a lot of shots following Michigan State’s baskets. Late in the game, though, their offense struggled to create open shots and their chance to earn a big win slipped away.
Michigan State: Kenny Goins made the most of an opportunity to play after starter Javon Bess got benched for poor play. The redshirt freshman forward had 13 rebounds, equaling his total from his first seven games, and scored a career-high five points.
UP NEXT
Louisville hosts Grand Canyon on Saturday.
Michigan State plays Binghamton at home on Saturday.
BIG-TIME COACHES
The game featured national-championship winning coaches, Louisville’s Rick Pitino and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, each of whom have seven Final Four appearances.
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