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LAS VEGAS – Michigan State is in the habit of seeing Cassius Winston hit a three-point playoff in the second half to get his team out of the break.
On Friday, he had a sidekick, as did Joshua Langford.
And together, this pair helped Michigan State's No. 11 to clear a 19-point lead early in the game against Texas, 78-68, on Friday afternoon at the Orleans Arena.
After Texas (5-1) gained 11 points early in the second period, Winston and Langford scored each point in 16-5, including scoring six to three. This race ended with a 3-pointer from Langford who gave the Spartans their first lead of the match with 15:26 remaining.
The Spartans (5-1) followed only 17 seconds in the rest of the game as they moved away from the unbeaten Longhorns to win their fifth game in a row and win the Las Vegas Invitational title.
Langford finished with a career-high 29 points, including 22 in the second half, while Winston added 20 points. The duo combined nine three-pointers. No other Michigan State player scored more than eight points.
Texas caught up to 19 points in less than nine minutes, as the Longhorns put pressure early and forced the Spartans into a series of turnovers.
But the Spartans settled, held the ball and slowly caught up until the deficit was eight points at half-time. Five minutes later, this deficit had disappeared for good.
The state of Michigan will travel to Louisville on Tuesday for a match between ACC and Big Ten Challenge.
Here are three takeaways from Michigan State's victory:
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