STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Joshua Langford again took a seat on the bench wearing a walking boot, helping his Michigan State teammates on the court verbally despite his absence form the lineup. Kyle Ahrens didn’t even make the trip to Bryce Jordan Center, sitting at home watching as the sixth-ranked Spartans won their 10th straight with a 71-56 win at Penn State on Sunday. But there was no question their injuries had an impact on MSU’s at-times sloppy performance. “Those guys are key guys, and you play with them a lot,” guard Cassius Winston said. “So now you just gotta figure out what other people are good at and work with them.” Winston struggled most, saying he felt “out of it from the beginning” as he drew with more defensive attention with Langford out for his fifth straight game with an ankle injury and Ahrens out for the first time with a back sprain. Penn State doubled the junior point guard and anticipated passes both for and fromhim, leading to breakaway dunks. Winston committed seven of the Spartans’ 17 turnovers and also had three first-half fouls, finishing with 11 points (on 3-of-7 shooting), six assists and four steals. “I told Cassius that was one of the worst games I’ve seen him play. … If Josh and Arnie were back and Cash had that kind of game, that is un-Cassius-like in two years,” MSU coach Tom Izzo said. “He sure as hell deserves a hall pass, but I can’t give any of them if we’re gonna be a real good team.” Ahrens, who had started the previous four games with Langford battling a left foot injury, did not travel because Izzo said he and team doctors felt it would be better for the 6-foot-6 forward to rest at home. Ahrens tweaked his back on a dunk at Ohio State on Jan. 5; He also twisted his ankle in the win. He also reaggravated the back problem during Tuesday’s home win over Purdue, a play on which Izzo said Ahrens “got clobbered … and hurt it a little more.” MSU started Aaron Henry and gave fellow freshman Gabe Brown extended time off the bench, combining for 46 minutes between them. Langford (15.0 points/game) and Ahrens (6.1 points) remain questionable for Thursday’s game at Nebraska. However, Izzo said the veterans’ presence is missing in the Spartans’ perimeter ball movement and entry passes to the post from the wing. “Aaron and Gabe are gonna be fine, and they did an OK job,” Izzo said. “But they’re not Josh and Arnie, not right now. They’re gonna have to do a better job.” With their depth on the wing limited, the Spartans went inside early and often to bury the Nittany Lions. Nick Ward made five of his seven shots in the first half, including a jumper from the elbow. The junior forward finished with 16 points in the game and also grabbed seven of his game-high 11 rebounds before halftime. “It’s tough without Josh. They sag in. Josh is an elite shooter, so they can’t really sag in on Josh,” said Ward, who was in foul trouble in the second half. “And it’s tough (without) Arnie. He helps us rebound and defend. It’s tough without those two guys.” The Spartans made 10 of 15 at the line in the first half. They outscored Penn State 16-8 in the paint and 9-2 in second-chance points off nine offensive rebounds in building a lead that surged to 18 points before intermission. In the second half, Penn State’s intensity returned as it pulled within 10 before a pair of Matt McQuaid 3-pointers rebuilt the cushion. The Nittany Lions outscored the Spartans 32-31 after halftime. “I thought they were physical,” Izzo said, “and I don’t think we responded very well. We had our moments when we were pretty good.” Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Download our Spartans Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!