Michigan State didn't have a single player on its roster Saturday night that had won a game in Ann Arbor. The Spartans hadn't swept Michigan since the 2018-2019 season, either, winning all three meetings that season including a Big Ten Tournament victory in Chicago. MSU fans in attendance at Crisler Center were happy with the final result as the Spartans held the Wolverines scoreless for the final 7:01 of play to head home victorious, winning 73-63.
MSU head coach Tom Izzo had said he wanted his seniors to step up earlier this week, and Tyson Walker and Malik Hall both did just that. Walker led MSU in scoring with 19 points and dished three helpers to teammates while nabbing three steals. Hall was right behind with 18 points alongside four boards.
While no other Spartan finished in double figures scoring, A.J. Hoggard finished with the team-high four assists along with three steals, adding six points as well. Jaden Akins matched the three steals with adding seven points, while Coen Carr finished with eight points that included several monster dunks. Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler led the team on the glass with seven rebounds each.
Michigan saw five players finish in double figures with Tarris Reed Jr. notching a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
While the Spartans got on the board to start thanks to a jumper from Hall, the Wolverines responded with a 5-0 run to seize a narrow lead they would hold until the midway point of the half. MSU never let Michigan run away with it, keeping it within four throughout the early action in the game. At the first timeout of the game, the Spartans trailed 14-12 with 14:35 left in the half.
Neither team was shooting well for the next stretch, both teams combining for nine missed shots and three turnovers with just a jumper each to make it 16-14, Wolverines at the under 12 media break.
The Spartans finally broke through to tie the game up coming out of the media timeout. Carr did so again a possession later, going on to push MSU into the lead with an and one after a made layup, drawing a foul by Michigan's Tray Jackson. That sparked a 15-4 run by Michigan State to seize a 31-22 lead with just 4:21 left in the half.
After grabbing a nine-point lead, momentum swung back toward the Wolverines as a 7-0 run clawed UM back to trail just 31-29 with 3:04 remaining. Michigan would later seize a narrow two-point lead with :40 left before MSU hit four free throw opportunities in the waning moments of the first half to take a 39-37 lead into the locker room at the half.
Despite trailing, the Wolverines were outshooting the Spartans on attempts, hitting 51.9% from the field and 38.5% from 3-point range compared to MSU's 42.4% from the field and 0-for-5 from deep. The Spartans had the advantage on the fast break, though, with 14 points, including 13 off turnovers by the Wolverines despite having seven turnovers of their own. Walker and Dug McDaniel led their respective teams with 10 points apiece at the half.
Michigan came out of the locker room looking to keep it competitive and made it all Wolverines early. The home team managed to quickly tie it up and then take the lead following a jumper from Hall. UM led by as much as five shortly before the under-16 media timeout, a layup by Hoggard cutting it to a 48-45 advantage by Michigan just before the break.
Michigan continued to press its advantage, opening its largest lead of the game with a six-point margin up 53-47 with 13:13 remaining. The Spartans finally dug in and took the lead back for good off a dunk from Hall with 10:30 left, opening a 58-56 lead.
While Michigan would manage to tie the game up twice, it never managed to seize back the lead. In fact, the Wolverines would not score again following a second-chance layup by Will Tschetter with 7:01 remaining that tied it up at 63-63. Meanwhile the Spartans would go on to a 10-0 run to finish the game, with the score 73-63 at the final buzzer.
The Spartans will look to make it four in a row when they return to the court next. A visit by Iowa to the Breslin Center on Tuesday, Feb. 20 awaits. Start time is set for 7 p.m. Eastern Time exclusively streaming on Peacock. MSU fans will be happy to note the broadcast will be the final one for the season scheduled for the streaming platform with all other remaining matchups to follow during the regular season on linear broadcast networks.
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