Freshman forward Jaxon Kohler had his Big Ten coming out party Thursday night as Michigan State snapped a two-game skid to defeat a tough No. 23 Rutgers squad 70-57 in front of a raucous Breslin Center crowd.

MSU improved to 13-6 overall and 5-3 in league play, while RU moved to 13-6 on the season and 5-3 in conference.

A.J. Hoggard led all scorers with 16 points -- including 3-of-5 from 3-point range -- while dishing a team-high seven assists. Joey Hauser added 13 points for the Spartans and added six boards. Tyson Walker added 12 points and Jaden Akins notched 11 as the two combined for a team-high four steals apiece.

The big performance of Kohler was the talk of the game, though, as the freshman big posted his first career double-double in the green and white with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Kohler also led the team with three blocks over a career-high 23 minutes. The only categories on the night that the freshman did not achieve career highs in were free throws made/attempts and steals.

For the Scarlet Knights, Paul Mulcahy and Clifford Omoruyi combined for 12 points apiece with Omoruyi 12 boards gave the RU center a double-double on the night.

Early on in this one it was Rutgers in the lead. The Scarlet Knights led by as much as nine in the first five minutes of the opening half, taking a 14-5 lead with 14:57 remaining. A Spartans' 7-0 run over the next two minutes cut it down to 14-12 and soon thereafter MSU had its first lead of the game, up 17-16 with 11:01 remaining.

The game was back-and-forth down the final stretch of the opening period as the lead changed six times before Michigan State established itself in front for good from the 4:31 mark onward. MSU never let Rutgers take the lead again and at the half it was 36-30 MSU.

Michigan State featured a tough defensive effort in both halves as Rutgers struggled with ball security. The Scarlet Knights had 22 total turnovers, 11 in each half. The Spartans couldn't convert those turnovers to points as the team scored just eight total points off them while RU was able to add 13 to the board off just 10 MSU turnovers.

The disparity in conversions aside, the second half was all Michigan State when it mattered. The Spartans rallied as the Scarlet Knights managed to cut the deficit to just 43-41 MSU with 14:15 remaining. Michigan State used a 7-0 run to push its lead back out to a more comfortable margin.

In the final minutes, MSU opened up a double digit lead with 3:43 remaining on a second-chance jumper by Kohler. Rutgers could never cut it back to single digits from there. By the final buzzer, Michigan State got a big 70-53 home win.

These two teams will face off again in just 16 days, but Michigan State will take on Rutgers on a neutral court next time. The two teams will play at Madison Square Gardens as part of the Big Ten Super Saturday event on Feb. 4 with tipoff set at noon.

In the meantime, Michigan State travels to Indiana for a Sunday matinee. The Spartans tip off against the Hoosiers at noon with the game airing on CBS.