EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State cant count on many of its players to perform consistently well. Keith Appling has been an exception in Big Ten play. Appling scored 24 points to help the fifth-ranked Spartans beat Minnesota 87-75 in overtime Saturday after overcoming a double-digit deficit in the second half and blowing a lead late in regulation. "No lead is safe at the end of a game, especially in the Big Ten," Appling said. The Spartans (15-1, 4-0 Big Ten) are well aware of that fact. The Spartans scored 15 straight points while holding the Golden Gophers (13-4, 2-2) scoreless for nearly 8 minutes after trailing 53-43 with 15:57 left. Michigan State missed an opportunity to win in regulation for the second straight game, losing a five-point lead in the last 13 seconds. The Spartans were without Adreian Payne because of a sprained right foot. "Theres nothing medically wrong that we can observe," coach Tom Izzo said. "Theres no stress fracture. He wanted to play. Hes not being a wimp. He just didnt feel he could, so I didnt want to take a chance and suit him up." Payne didnt start the previous game, but scored 18 points in an overtime win over No. 3 Ohio State in which Michigan State wasted a 17-point lead in the second half. "We deserve some criticism for how weve executed," Izzo said. Late in regulation, the Gophers (13-4, 2-2) made plays and got a break that gave them a shot to pull off an upset. Minnesotas Malik Smith made his fifth 3-pointer, Gary Harris missed two free throws with 11.3 seconds left for the Spartans and DeAndre Mathieus layup with 1.7 seconds left tied the game and sent it to overtime. First-year Gophers coach Richard Pitino was glad Mathieu made the shot, but it wasnt the one he wanted. "I was running a play and trying to shoot a 3 to be honest with you," Pitino said. Michigan State scored the first nine points of OT, ending Minnesotas chance to beat a top-five team on its home court for the first time in school history and to win at the Breslin Center for the first time since 1997. "Anytime you go on the road in a great environment and you step up for 40 minutes and you dont win the game, it is a bit of a missed opportunity," Pitino said. "But there will be plenty more." Minnesotas next two home games are against Ohio State and Wisconsin, teams currently ranked No. 3 and No. 4 in The Associated Press poll. The Spartans barely did enough to keep winning and match the best 16-game record Izzo has had in 19 seasons, equaling the record they had during the 2000-01 season as defending national champions. Minnesota guard Austin Hollins turned the ball over with 42 seconds left and teammate Andre Hollins had an ill-advised 3-pointer blocked with 23 seconds left, trailing by three on each possession. Then, the Gophers struggled to take care of the basketball in OT and couldnt stop the Spartans. "We just made some bonehead plays," Andre Hollins said. Minnesota needed more than 4 minutes to score in the extra period and those points pulled it within seven. "We came in confident," Andre Hollins said. "We expected to win this game. Its not a moral victory. We have to give them a lot of credit for making their free throws." Andre Hollins scored 24 and Smith had 17 points off the bench. Smith scored 11 of his points, nine on 3-pointers, in the first 12 minutes of the game to help the Gophers lead 41-36 at halftime after making 7 of 12 shots beyond the arc. They made just 3 of 14 3-pointers in the second half and overtime. Harris had 19 points and redshirt freshman Kenny Kaminski scored a season-high 15 -- all on 3-pointers. Appling said Kaminski, "saved the day," for the Spartans. Izzo has not been pleased lately with Branden Dawson and Denzel Valentine and both played relatively well at times against Minnesota. Dawson finished with six points and 10 rebounds after not scoring and grabbing just three rebounds in the first half. "Theres something wrong with Brandan," Izzo said. "Theres something bothering him. You can see it -- you dont have to be a coach." Valentine had nine points, 10 rebounds, four assists, four steals and a blocked shot late in regulation. "He got some big rebounds late and he defended better," Izzo said. Custom Toronto Raptors Jerseys .J. Hardy to avoid a three-game sweep after blowing a big early lead. Odour had a leadoff single in the seventh and scored the tiebreaking run with the help of two errors by Hardy as the Rangers went on to beat the Orioles 8-6 on Thursday night. OG Anunoby Raptors Jersey . The 25-year-old Lu, a regular on the Japan LPGA Tour after giving up her LPGA Tour membership in 2010, shot an 8-under 64 in windy, wet conditions at Kintetsu Kashikojima. http://www.nbaraptorsonline.com/Authenti...e-Meeks-Jersey/. Despite Arsenals financial firepower, the 31-year-old midfielder was the only arrival in the January transfer window. Signed until the end of the season as injury cover, Kallstrom might not be fit until mid-March after arriving Friday at Arsenal having injured his back earlier in the week while training with Spartak Moscow. Marc Gasol Jersey . Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, the Houston Texans No. 1 pick in the draft, was on the field Tuesday for the first time with former NFL Defensive Player of the Year J. Serge Ibaka Raptors Jersey . Which is to say, the top of this years draft class is not as dynamic or exciting as the 2013 class of Nate MacKinnon, Sasha Barkov, Jonathan Drouin and Seth Jones and its not as strikingly promising as the highly-anticipated 2015 slate of Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin.COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Columbus Crew and FC Dallas paused before their scoreless draw Sunday to support the recovery of a firefighter who was struck by lightning in the southwest parking lot of Crew Stadium. The Major League Soccer teams were scheduled to play on Saturday night, but their game was rescheduled after Stu Tudor was hit during a pregame storm. The 54-year-old lieutenant in the Columbus Fire Department is in critical condition in the intensive care unit of the Ohio State Medical Center. The Crew and FC Dallas held a moment of silence before their game, and fans held up signs in support of Tudor, who was off duty at the time of the strike. "Here, you have a man like that who saves lives on a regular basis, who comes out on his off day to see us play," Crew forward Justin Meram said. "For something like that to happen to him, were hoping for the best for him and his family." Dallas defender Zach Lloyd said he and his teammates were affected by the situation. "I know a lot of guys were thinking about his family and their well-being," he said. "That was tough for our group. I think we did a good job of refocusing for the game." Columbus Fire Department Battalion Chief Tracy Smith said its not known if Tudor was struck directly but he had to be resuscitated. Smith said it takes between two and three days to determine the effects of a possible lightning strike. "Were all in (Tudors) corner. Hes one of us," said Columbus coach Gregg Berhalter, who sported a small red ribbon on his shirt during the game as a sign of support. "He was certainly on our minds the last 24 hours." A brief, heavy downpour began 18 minutes into Sundays game, but it was quickly replaced by sunshine for the remainder of the match. There was a chance for more thunderstorms later in the afternoon as the temperature reached the mid-80s with high humidity. The weather was not a deterrent for Tim Hoehnke of the Columbus suburb of Bexley, who brought his family back to Crew Stadium for a seecond straight day.dddddddddddd. "Im not worried," he said before the game. "It was kind of a freak storm (Saturday) that popped up real quick." Stadium officials directed Hoehnkes family to go underneath the stands for cover when rain and lighting moved into the area Saturday, but he was still outside the entrance. "I saw the flash of the guy who got struck by lightning," he said. "They took care of him quickly when he got struck." A Crew spokesman said the team followed MLS policy when it learned lightning strikes were within range of the stadium and immediately ordered fans to exit the double-deck venue in which the majority of the seating is aluminum bleachers. "They handled everything quite well," Hoehnke said. "They got everybody out of the stadium all right. No one panicked." The match was not officially rescheduled until 12:45 a.m. Sunday and the crowd of 4,680 for the 2 p.m. start was far less than the sellout of 20,672 the Crew said it would have had for Saturdays match. MLS Executive Vice-President Dan Courtemanche said in a statement it is league protocol to try and play rescheduled games the next day. Crew defender Eric Gehrig had no problem with the decision to postpone the game once he heard of the circumstances. "Our minds were off soccer at that point," he said. There was a subdued atmosphere before Sundays game, and it was evident Tudor was on the minds of many. Some people paused to stare at the spot where Tudor was struck before continuing to the gates and two Columbus Division of Police officers working the stadium plaza said they visited Tudor earlier that morning. In one corner of the parking lot members of the teams support groups -- collectively known as the Nordecke -- painted black words on two gold banners an hour before the kickoff. They later moved to the northeast corner of the stadium and before the Star Spangled Banner unfurled their work, "Nordeckes with Stu" and "Get well Stu." ' ' '