When Michigan State's Drew Neitzel spun toward the baseline with 10 minutes left in the game, he saw nothing but an open lane to the basket in front of him.

Unfortunately, he didn't see 6-foot-11 Chris Hunter waiting under the hoop.

As the Grand Rapids native lofted the ball into the air, Hunter rose and swatted it right into the hands of a player on the Michigan State bench.

"(Hunter) lifted us a lot," sophomore Ron Coleman said. "Of course we had the atmosphere but getting big blocks like that just gave us an extra boost in our spirits."

At halftime, Hunter was having a less than impressive night. He took just one shot and grabbed one rebound in eight minutes.

The Wolverines mirrored the forward's offensive frustrations. The Michigan frontcourt lacked the production to match the Spartans. Hunter and the Wolverine forwards shot just 2-for-7 from the floor.

Coming out of the locker room Hunter looked like a different player. In the second frame, the senior made four field goals and had two monstrous blocks.

"Chris had a great game," senior Graham Brown said. "He came out and blocked some shots and hit some big shots for us. You just got to hand it to him. He's always prepared. When he came out, he showed what he could do."

Hunter's biggest contribution to the Wolverines' victory came with the score tied and 11:14 left in the contest.

Running the court, Hunter set up on the wing waiting for a pass. Junior Dion Harris saw him and dished it off to the waiting forward.

Hunter got the ball and immediately hoisted the shot before a Michigan State defender could close on him. The 3-pointer dropped through the net without even grazing iron.

The senior's lone make from behind the arc gave Michigan a lead that it wouldn't surrender.

"That was a game-changing play," junior Brent Petway said. "It was the Pontiac game-changing performance."

Throughout the second half, Hunter brought the energy to the defensive end that ignited the Wolverines.

With less than four and half minutes left, Michigan State's Maurice Ager drove to the lane and put up a tough lay-up. The basket would have cut Michigan's lead to four, but Hunter had other ideas. He soared to meet the shot at its height and swatted it out-of-bounds.

"(The block) was great," Hunter said. "It got the fans involved and got our team going a little bit. I was just out there trying to make plays."

Then, Hunter made his presence felt on the offensive end.

After blocking Neitzel, Hunter extended the Michigan lead to four. He bobbled an entry pass in the post, but gathered it and spun to the baseline to slam the ball home.

Later, Hunter built Michigan's advantage to seven when Horton found him open on the low block. As he leapt for the dunk, the Spartans' Matt Trannon jumped to block the shot. But Hunter adjusted in midair to convert the up-and-under lay-up on the other side of the rim.

"I'm just being patient," Hunter said. "We have a lot of guys on this team that can do a lot of things. When the opportunity arises you have to take advantage of it, be patient and keep playing hard."

Three years removed from his last victory over Michigan State, Hunter savored the moment.

"It was my last game at home against Michigan State," Hunter said. "It was great to come out here with a victory against a great team like that."

Notes: Last night marked the second time this season that Crisler Arena has sold out. The Wolverines previously sold out Crisler when they hosted UCLA on Dec. 17. . With an 8-for-8 performance from the free-throw line, Daniel Horton remained perfect from the line in Big Ten conference play. . Michigan's 4-2 record places it in a five-way tie for second place in the Big Ten. . Wing Lester Abram dressed for the game but did not play. He is still listed as day-to-day while recovering from a severe ankle sprain.