For the second straight game, Northwestern showed it can compete with a national powerhouse.

Against No. 12 Michigan State, the Wildcats held their ground until a lapse in the second half and then battled back when a blowout seemed inevitable.

But moral victories don’t count in the Big Ten standings. So at the end of a long Saturday night, all the Cats had to show for their efforts was a sixth loss in seven games, a 77-66 defeat at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

“I don’t take too much from hanging in there,” coach Bill Carmody said. “I know we can beat that team, but we have to play real well. It’s clearly a good team, a team that got to the Final Four last year.”

With a lineup featuring NBA-caliber talent, the Spartans (17-5, 5-3 Big Ten) are one of the most athletic, explosive teams in the country. It didn’t take them long to prove it against NU (10-10, 3-6).

Early in the first half, two of Cats forward Vedran Vukusic’s layup attempts were blocked off the backboard. On the other end, the vaunted Spartans trio of Maurice Ager, Shannon Brown and Paul Davis put on a dunking exhibition – highlighted by Brown’s emphatic, two-handed tomahawk slam. The Big Three combined to score 59 points and outrebounded NU by themselves, 26-24.

“They’re tough guys to guard because they can drive and always shoot,” said senior guard Mohamed Hachad, who had 12 points and five rebounds. “(Michigan State) has a combination of guys out there that helps them be as good as they are.”

Vukusic, the Big Ten’s leading scorer, did his part to keep pace with the trio in the first half. The senior forward scored nine of NU’s first 10 points and finished with 23. But he was limited to seven points in the second half,