Keith Appling scored 25 points and No. 17 Michigan State knocked No. 15 Indiana from the unbeaten ranks with an 80-65 victory on Wednesday in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

Having squandered an early 17-point lead, the Spartans (12-2) trailed 54-45 with 11:07 left before scoring 20 unanswered points over the next 6:16 to seize the upper hand and send Indiana to its 16th straight Big Ten road loss.

Christian Watford had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Hoosiers (12-1), who had erased a big early deficit with a 27-5 surge of its own, was unable to get any closer than eight in the final moments.

Derrick Nix added 14 points off the bench for the Spartans, who shot 54.7 percent (29-for-53) from the field.

Indiana's Jordan Hulls, who came in as one of the nation's top 3-point shooters, missed all four of his attempts from behind the arc, where the Hoosiers were 2-for-10 as a team in the second half.