Michigan State 71, Rutgers 51: Branden Dawson tallied 17 points and 11 rebounds as the visiting Spartans cruised past the Scarlet Knights in a game that was delayed two days by the blizzard in the Northeast.

Dawson added four assists, four steals and two blocks while Bryn Forbes, who saw his 51-game streak of hitting at least one 3-pointer stopped Saturday at Nebraska, tied a season high with four en route to 18 points for Michigan State (14-7, 5-3 Big Ten). Travis Trice contributed 10 points and five assists while Denzel Valentine had eight points and seven boards as the Spartans easily overcame 17 turnovers.

Kadeem Jack finished with 17 points and seven rebounds to pace Rutgers (10-12, 2-7), which has dropped five straight since handing a shorthanded Wisconsin team its only conference loss Jan. 11. Bishop Daniels chipped in nine points while leading scorer Myles Mack was limited to seven on 2-of-10 from the floor as the Scarlet Knights shot 29.1 percent.

Forbes knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers and Dawson scored eight points in the first 5½ minutes as Michigan State quickly established an eight-point edge. Junior Etou drained two free throws to pull Rutgers within four midway through the first half before Valentine and Trice drilled a triple apiece during an 11-0 surge to give the Spartans a 34-19 advantage with just over six minutes left.

Daniels answered a layup from Forbes with a jumper in the first minute of the second half, but the Scarlet Knights missed their next 12 shots and went scoreless for nearly 10 minutes as Michigan State scored 18 consecutive points to take a 62-36 lead. Rutgers closed within 16 with 1½ minutes remaining as the Spartans did not score for more than five minutes, but Forbes halted the dry spell with a late layup to match his season-high point total.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The new conference rivals squared off on the hardwood for the first time since the Spartans defeated the Scarlet Knights in 1970 in the first meeting at the Lobo Classic in Albuquerque, N.M. … Rutgers, which went 6-for-27 from the field in the second half, became the fifth opponent to shoot below 30 percent against Michigan State. … The Spartans won the battle of the boards 43-28 and have enjoyed a plus-16.7 rebounding margin over their last three games.