In a game where Penn State needed to be hitting on all cylinders, the Nittany Lions perimeter shooters had a hard time finding the basket.

An inability to score from outside is always a problem for a team that relies heavily on the three-point shot and fortunately for Michigan State that's what it encountered from Penn State (16-9, 6-8) in Saturday night's 76-57 defeat of the Lions.

The No.5 Spartans (22-3, 11-3) pounded the Lions inside early with Zach Randolph and Andre Hutson pulling down 24 rebounds and chipping in 21 points. Michigan State's dominant presence inside kept Penn State in check as Joe Crispin and Titus Ivory were shut down for most of the evening.

Michigan State held the Lions primary scoring punch to just 21 points combined, well below their season average of 36 points per contest.

Crispin, who knocked down a 15-footer at the buzzer to end the first half, cut the Spartans' lead to eight points. Joe was on early as he scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half. Most of his points came from sliding between defenders and hitting the mid-range jumper.

That didn't last long as Tom Izzo and Michigan State made adjustments at half time.

Izzo saw that most of Crispin's scoring came inside the three-point line. So at the half, Izzo told point guard Charlie Bell to force Crispin back to the middle of the floor, where some of the Spartans post players were expected to step up and make his shooting decision harder, thus keeping several of those easy jumpers from falling.

It worked.

And much like the Lions' first meeting with the Spartans this season in East Lansing, the ending would be similar. Crispin missed all 11 of his attempts in the second half and could not get anything going.

"I've seen him shoot it so well," Izzo said. "Some of it was Charlie and some of it was him having an off night. We're lucky that they did not shoot that well. If they did, it might have been a different result."

Despite Crispin's struggles, Penn State's lone bright spot came with just under 10 minutes left in the second half, when Lion forward Gyasi Cline-Heard stepped to the foul line and connected on one of two free throws, giving the Nittany Lions 48-47 lead.

That lead would be short lived as Jason Richardson and the rest of the Michigan State men's basketball team proved why they're one of the elite teams in the country as they finished the game on a 29-9 run.

Crispin and the Lions could do nothing but watch. Unlike the games prior to Saturday no one could pick up Crispin's slack, as the team went 10 for 40 in the second half, which spelled the end for Penn State.

"Joe is probably the best player I have ever played against," Bell said. "He's smart and knows to do with the ball at all times, so you always have to keep a hand on him."

For Crispin and the rest of the Lions it was a game — and a week — they'd like to forget. The Lions feel they need to move on from this and they believe they have.

"Nothing changes, were still confident we'll make to the NCAA Tournament," Crispin said. "We have been to the NIT and that's not any fun. We're a good team and now we have to win these next two games."