Midway through the second half of the menâÄôs basketball game Saturday at Williams Arena , the Gophers looked to be on the verge of an upset of No. 6 Michigan State. No lead could be safe against the Spartans, but Minnesota continued to make clutch shots even as its opponent chipped away at a lead that swelled to 13 points early in the second half. The SpartansâÄô steady comeback culminated with a straight-on 3-point field goal by All-Big Ten guard Kalin Lucas to give his team a 65-62 lead with 1:27 remaining. Gophers senior forward Damian Johnson responded with a 2-point basket, and MinnesotaâÄôs ensuing defensive stand gave the team one more chance for the win when it called a timeout with 14.7 seconds remaining. On the gameâÄôs deciding play, the ball was handed off at the top of the key to Lawrence Westbrook, who had already scored 11 points in the second half. As his teammates stood arm-in-arm on the sideline, the senior guard drove to the basket. His one-armed shot went straight up, and he jumped for a two-handed second attempt to push it toward the hoop. As the ball was falling short of the rim, junior guard Blake Hoffarber tried to tip it in, but the ball fell to Spartans guard Durrell Summers as the horn sounded. Summers threw the ball skyward in exhilaration, while Westbrook lay in disappointment where he had fallen on his shot attempt. The energy drained from the sellout crowd that had nearly carried the Gophers to an upset victory. âÄúIt was a pretty deflating loss,âÄù a somber Gophers head coach Tubby Smith said after the game. âÄúI thought we were in control of the game for most of it.âÄù The Gophers outshot the Spartans 48 percent to 39 percent, matched the Big TenâÄôs best rebounding team with 35 rebounds each and led from their first possession until the final 2:24. Without junior point guard Al Nolen, who was ruled academically ineligible earlier in the week, Minnesota (12-7 overall, 3-4 Big Ten) got solid 16-point games from Westbrook and sophomore guard Devoe Joseph, who started in place of Nolen. âÄúEveryone showed a lot of heart today,âÄù said Joseph, who made an impressive start in place of Nolen. âÄúWe came and we fought, knowing that weâÄôre missing our starting point guard.âÄù Minnesota led at halftime, 34-26, after shooting 50 percent to Michigan StateâÄôs 29 percent. It was the first halftime deficit in the past 13 games for the Spartans (17-3, 7-0 Big Ten). âÄú[The Gophers] made us not play great,âÄù Spartans head coach Tom Izzo said. âÄúI thought we were pronounced dead a few times. They really took it to us early, middle and, actually, late.âÄù The Gophers led 41-28 with 17:50 remaining after Westbrook made a pair of free throws to become the 35th player in program history to score 1,000 points in his Gophers career. Joseph hit a jumper after the Spartans closed it to 55-50 and again at 58-52, but he missed his final two shots, including one that preceded Michigan StateâÄôs game-tying possession. Spartans forward Raymar Morgan, who played most of the second half with four fouls, made two free throws to tie the game, 62-62, with 2:24 remaining. Morgan and Lucas each scored 12 second-half points to rally Michigan State. The Gophers missed NolenâÄôs defense most against Lucas, who scored a game-high 22 points and was perfect on four second-half field goals, including three from 3-point range. âÄúI told Lucas with a minute and a half left âĦ this is where great players are made,âÄù Izzo said. âÄúI thought Joseph played well âĦ but you still miss your floor general, your best defensive player [Nolen].âÄù The SpartansâÄô offense heated up from the outside after the Gophers had held them to 2-of-10 first-half shooting in the paint. In the second half, Michigan State made 7-of-11 3-point attempts and shot 54 percent from the field. Trailing 60-52, with 6:07 remaining, the Spartans made a 13-2 run to overtake the Gophers. âÄúI thought we were a little bit winded there at the end,âÄù Smith said. âÄúThat probably led to us losing some of the aggression that we had.âÄù Joseph, Westbrook and Hoffarber played the entire second half. Johnson and sophomore center Ralph Sampson III sat for a combined seven minutes after halftime. Hoffarber tied his career high of 36 minutes, while Joseph and Westbrook set career highs with 36 minutes each in a valiant attempt to capture what could have been a résumé-bolstering win. âÄúThereâÄôs only one stat that matters: the win-loss column,âÄù Joseph said. âÄúThatâÄôs what gets you to the [NCAA] tournament.âÄù