Miles Bridges scored nine points during a decisive run and finished with 20, Nick Ward had 20 points and Joshua Langford scored a career-high 17 points, leading Michigan State in an 88-72 win over Nebraska Thursday night.

Bridges made two layups, a dunk on a pass off the backboard and a 3-pointer in a 2:12 stretch late in the first half as part of a 21-5 run that turned a closely contested game into a rout. Cassius Winston ended the surge with a 3-pointer from about 40 feet just before the buzzer in the first half.

The Spartans (17-11, 9-6 Big Ten ) bounced back from a 17-point setback at Number 14 Purdue and the loss of senior Eron Harris with a dominant performance in a game they needed to win.

Michigan State boosted its chances of earning a 20th straight invite to the NCAA tournament with their fifth victory in seven games and moved into a fourth-place tie with Minnesota and Northwestern in the conference .