It took longer than most expected, but Michigan State men’s basketball rebounded from a poor first half defensive and demolished in-state rival Michigan, 81-62, on Tuesday night at the Breslin Center.
The 19-point victory is the largest for the Spartans in this series since a 75-52 victory back on February 12, 2013.
argue with tonight’s results however, as Michigan State dominated their rivals after halftime.
3.) MSU’s defense shuts Wolverines down after halftime
Michigan came out flamethrowing on offense in this one.
At one point midway through the first half, the Wolverines knocked down eight consecutive shots and were shooting around 80 percent from the floor.
Some of that was due to defensive breakdowns from the Spartans, and some was just Michigan hitting some tough shots.
At halftime, the Wolverines were shooting 61% from the floor and were 5-of-9 from 3-point range.
It was an entirely different story in the second half, as Michigan State dialed up their defensive intensity and shut down their rivals.
After halftime, the Wolverines shot just 25% from the floor and went 3-for-11 from long range.
For the game, the Spartans had 11 steals and forced 13 total Michigan turnovers, leading to 20 points at the other end for MSU.
4.) Another milestone for Malik Hall
Michigan State fifth-year senior Malik Hall scored in double figures for the sixth consecutive game with 12 points for the Spartans tonight, on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting.
He also added three rebounds, which pushed Hall over 600 for his career. A little under two weeks ago, Hall eclipsed 1,000 career points, and he becomes the 22nd player in MSU men’s basketball history to accomplish both feats in their career.
Hall also held his own fairly well down low defensively amidst several post-ups from the Wolverines.
5.) Hoggard, Holloman had strong nights offensively
Michigan State’s leading scorer, Tyson Walker, struggled at the offensive end for the second consecutive game.
The senior went 0-for-6 from 3-point range and shot just 5-of-14 from the floor on his way to 12 points.
Fortunately, the rest of the Spartans’ backcourt stepped up in a major way.
In addition to Akins’ night, which we detailed above, both A.J. Hoggard and Tre Holloman had strong performances at the offensive end.
Hoggard had an all-around performance with 15 points, seven assists, four rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot. Holloman got in some foul trouble, but still finished with seven points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting, and added
