No. 11 Michigan State 49, Wisconsin 47: Keith Appling scored 19 points and the visiting Spartans won their sixth straight game and maintained their first-place standing in the Big Ten by dispatching the Badgers.

Branden Dawson scored a career-high 18 points and matched a career-best with 13 rebounds as Michigan State (17-3, 6-1 Big Ten) defeated Wisconsin for the seventh time in the last nine meetings.

Mike Bruesewitz had 10 points for the Badgers (13-6, 4-2), who lost their second straight game. Ryan Evans grabbed 11 rebounds but scored only six points on 2-of-12 shooting as Wisconsin shot 29.6 percent from the field.

Michigan State led 47-43 after Dawson’s basket with just under seven minutes remaining. The only other field goal came when Evans drained a 3-pointer with 16.7 seconds left to pull the Badgers within 48-47.

Wisconsin trailed by two points with 3.5 seconds left when George Marshall missed the first of two free throws. Marshall was instructed to intentionally miss the second, but failed to hit the rim to turn the ball over to the Spartans. Michigan State inbounded the ball and ran out the final seconds.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Appling had three of Michigan State’s four 3-point baskets. … Wisconsin was 7-of-18 from the free-throw line with Jared Berggren going 2-for-8. … Both teams shot 37 percent in the first half with the Badgers leading 28-27 at the break.