EAST LANSING, Mich. — Paul Davis heaved the basketball toward the scoreboard hanging over the court, his teammates hugged and the fans cheered wildly.

Yes, it was a big victory for Michigan State.

Alan Anderson didn’t miss a shot and scored a career-high 28 points to lead the 10th-ranked Spartans to a 77-64 win over No. 20 Wisconsin on Thursday night, snapping a 12-game losing streak against ranked opponents and a six-game skid against the Badgers.

“A lot of weight just came off our shoulders,” said Davis, who had 13 points and 11 rebounds. “I guess we proved some critics wrong.”

The Spartans (20-4, 11-2 Big Ten) have won 10 of 11 since losing to the Badgers Jan. 16, winning their last nine by double digits.

Those lopsided victories didn’t quiet many skeptics because of the streak against ranked opponents dating to the regional finals of the 2003 NCAA tournament.

“It’s no secret we needed to get over one hurdle,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “There’s a bunch more hurdles to go, but you have to get over the first.

“We had to get over this one to give this team a chance to get the weight of the world off their shoulders and to move on.”

Anderson made sure the Spartans didn’t have to talk about why they failed to win another marquee game.

He was 10-of-10 from the field and 7-of-7 from the line, becoming the fourth Michigan State player to take at least 10 shots without missing. The senior forward surpassed his previous career high of 18 points early in the second half.

“He did a great job of penetrating and taking care of business around the basket,” Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. “You name it, he did it.”

Anderson matched a field-goal percentage mark at Michigan State. Ron Charles made all 12 of his shots in a game in 1980, while Carlton Valentine (1986) and Bob Chapman (1977) both went 11-for-11.

“I don’t think I missed a shot in warmups,” Anderson said. “I said, ‘Man, this feels good.’”

Alando Tucker scored 18 points and Mike Wilkinson had 16 for the Badgers (17-7, 8-5), who have lost three of five, allowing Indiana to pull into a third-place tie in the Big Ten standings.

“We don’t like to say it happens at Wisconsin, but they outworked us,” Tucker said.

No. 9 Arizona 57,

Washington State 56

At Pullman, Wash., Ivan Radenovic made a pair of free throws with 9 seconds left in overtime to help Arizona avoid being swept by Washington State.

Derrick Low’s 3-point shot for Washington State rimmed out in the closing seconds and Radenovic rebounded for the Wildcats (24-4, 14-2), who beat the Cougars for the 17th straight time at Pullman.

The win gave Arizona coach Lute Olson 304 wins in the Pac-10, tied with legendary UCLA coach John Wooden for most wins in the league.

Thomas Kelati led the Cougars with 16 points.

No. 12 Gonzaga 84,

Portland 68

At Portland, Ore., Ronny Turiaf had 14 points and 11 rebounds and Gonzaga clinched the West Coast Conference title for the fifth straight season.

Adam Morrison added 22 points for Gonzaga (22-4, 13-2), which has won nine straight. It is the ninth time since 1994 that the Bulldogs have won the regular season conference championship.

Darren Cooper had 20 points for the Pilots (15-14, 4-10).

No. 14 Washington 90,

Arizona State 82

At Seattle, Tre Simmons tied a career high with 29 points, including 12 during a four-minute span in the second half, and Washington held off pesky Arizona State.

Washington (22-4, 12-3 Pac-10) kept pace with Arizona in the Pac-10. The Huskies are 1½ games behind the Wildcats and host Arizona on Saturday.

No. 24 Cincinnati 80,

Marquette 68

At Cincinnati, Eric Hicks scored 17 points and the Bearcats beat Marquette, which was playing its first game without leading scorer Travis Diener.

Nick Williams added 16 points, and Jason Maxiell had 14 points for Cincinnati (21-6, 9-4 Conference USA).