EAST LANSING, Mich. — Ball security – or a lack of it – proved pivotal for the USC women’s basketball team.

Kennedy Blair scored 21 points, and No. 13 Michigan State feasted on 24 USC turnovers while holding off the Trojans late for a 74-68 win on Thursday night.

Kara Dunn scored 23 points and Jazzy Davidson added 21 to lead USC (11-8 overall, 3-5 Big Ten), which has lost five of its past six games. Kennedy Smith scored 15 points.

Michigan State (18-2, 7-2) opened the fourth quarter on a 13-5 run to stretch its lead to 66-54 with 5:15 remaining. Jazzy Davidson scored the last five points in a 10-0 run to help pull USC to 66-64 with 4:10 left, but the Spartans closed out their win from the free-throw line. Blair led the Spartans with eight points in the fourth.

Blair shot 8 for 15 from the floor overall, 5 for 6 from the free-throw line and had five steals. Grace VanSlooten added 16 points and nine rebounds for Michigan State, which rebounded from a 75-68 loss to then-No. 10 Iowa. Rashunda Jones scored 16 points and Ines Sotelo added 12 to go with seven rebounds for the Spartans.

Michigan State scored 25 points off the USC turnovers.

The Trojans shot 47% from the field and 7 for 22 from 3-point range, outplaying the Spartans in both categories (38% and 3 for 13), but Michigan State had half as many turnovers (leading to 11 more total field goal attempts) and made 12 more free throws than USC.

USC plays at No. 7 Michigan on Sunday at 11 a.m. PT.