In an arena that has caused almost nothing but issues for Michigan State over the years, the Spartans found a way to etch out a win over Rutgers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday afternoon by a score of 81-74.
This win extends the win streak to 12 and improves MSU's record against the Big Ten to a perfect 8-0 with all 17 other teams in the conference holding multiple losses.
The game’s first half was packed full of big runs for both sides. After guard Tre Holloman hit a three to open the scoring, the Scarlet Knights went on a 10-0 run to take an early seven-point lead. As they have done all season, the Spartans responded by going on a massive 20-3 stretch to lead by as much as 10 in the first half. Then, Rutgers had a 15-5 run to tie it back up at 28, before things started to settle in and Michigan State entered the locker room with a 35-32 lead.
The two teams continued to feel each other out in the second half, as there weren't any big runs in the first parts of the final 20 minutes. There were multiple instances of Rutgers getting within a possession, but the Spartan defense was able to get timely stops throughout to stay on top consistently.
Eventually, Michigan State broke through, going on a 9-1 run to go up by a dozen with just under 10 minutes to go. The Scarlet Knights kept fighting, but were never in any serious position to steal the game from that point onward. MSU led by as much as 13 with just under two minutes to go.
It was fitting that Jase Richardson, someone that has spent plenty of time around NBA arenas, was one of the players to come up big for Michigan State. The freshman star led the way for the Spartans with a career-best 20 points in the game on an efficient 6-for-9 shooting day, going 3-for-4 from deep and 5-for-5 at the charity stripe.
Right behind Richardson was Coen Carr. The high-flying forward ended his day with 14 points, seven rebounds (three offensive), and two blocks. His presence and lob threat also caused issues for Rutgers' defense; MSU had a 2-on-1 fastbreak at one point in the second half and RU's Bailey opted to give Holloman an open layup rather than risk the lob to Carr.
The bench, in general, carried the Spartans throughout much of this one. Michigan State's five bench players outscored the starters 50-31, in fact. In the first half, the starters only contributed nine total points to the bench's 26.
As for Rutgers, the key to almost every one of its game is its superstars -- Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. It didn't look certain that Harper was going to play, as he has been nursing an ankle injury and was listed as questionable on RU's availability report. Harper ended up going despite not starting the game, but only played 13 total minutes, with 12 coming in the first half.
With Harper not at 100%, Bailey was relied on a lot with the ball and MSU did a good job containing him. The future first-round pick shot just 4-for-17 from the field, but ended with 18 points as a result of a 8-for-8 night from the free throw line.
Others also stepped up for the Scarlet Knights to fill the void. Merrimack transfer Jordan Derkack put up 26 points despite entering Saturday averaging just 6.7 per game, allowing Rutgers to stick around despite shooting around 30% from the field for most of the game.
Overall though, MSU's depth overcame Rutgers' star power as the Spartans went to 17-2 overall and Rutgers fell to 10-10 (3-6 Big Ten).
Michigan State will have a quick turnaround in preparation for it's shot at a 13th consecutive win. The Spartans will host Minnesota, who they beat by 18 on the road, in the Breslin Center on Tuesday, Jan. 28. That game will tip off at 8 p.m. EST and can be streamed on Peacock.
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