The No. 18 Michigan State Spartans hosted the Alcorn State Braves on Sunday night at the Breslin Center as part of the Acrisure Invitational. After beating Butler in comfortable fashion on Friday night to improve to 2-2 on the season, the Spartans looked to build on their performance from two nights earlier against the 1-2 Braves, and did so in resounding fashion with a 81-49 victory.
After holding Butler to just 54 points when the Bulldogs were averaging 88 points per game, the Spartans' defensive prowess did not end Sunday, holding the Braves to only 49 points on the night.
MSU was led in scoring by Tre Holloman's 17 points, followed by Jaden Akins' 13. A.J. Hoggard and Coen Carr both added 11 each for Spartans finishing in double digits, while Mady Sissoko led on the glass with seven rebounds. Holloman and Jeremy Fears, Jr. both dished five assists apiece for the team high while three Spartans finished with two blocks each and Fears and Holloman both led in steals with two each.
Jeremiah Gambrell led Alcorn State with 12 points and Jeremiah Kendall added 11 as the only other Brave in double figures scoring.
The Spartans starting five consisted of guards Jaden Akins, Tre Holloman and A.J. Hoggard as well as forward Malik Hall, and center Carson Cooper. Notably, the Spartans were without Tyson Walker, and Holloman made his first career start.
Alcorn State got the scoring started early, but after that, the Braves could not do much besides an occasional bucket. The Spartans opened their scoring with a basket by Akins, but he missed the and-one opportunity after drawing the shooting foul on his basket. Several minutes later, the Spartans turned on the afterburner and did not look back. Holloman nailed back to back 3-pointers which woke up the crowd while giving the team some much needed confidence from beyond the arc.
From there, the Spartans went on a 13-0 run to take a 16-5 lead with just under 13 minutes left in the first half. Alcorn State finally ended the Spartans run with a free throw. Even so, MSU seemingly could not miss, and it seemed as if every player on the team was shooting the ball well for the most part. This is a great sign for the Spartans if they can carry the momentum into a matchup against No. 3 Arizona who they next face in the Acrisure Classic given shooting troubles the team has had so far in the young season.
The most notable player of the first half was Holloman who finished the half a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range. He led all Spartan scorers with 12 of his 17 points for the night at the break. Akins also had an impressive first half, shooting 50% and adding seven points.
A major storyline so far in the young season was three 3-point shooting, or rather the lack thereof. Heading into its matchup vs the Braves, Michigan State was among the bottom-feeders in the country. After shooting above 50% from 3-point land in the first half, it provided a much needed breath of fresh air for the team and fans watching.
The Spartans took a whopping 44-16 lead into the locker room at the break.
MSU did not stop its offensive onslaught as it came out for second half. Tre Holloman made the first 3-pointer, bringing his tally to five on the night, and the team added 16 more points to its lead in the first seven minutes of the second half. The Spartans led by 29 points with just under 13 minutes left.
Coen Carr added another highlight reel dunk with about 17 minutes left. Jaden Akins lobbed a pass to Carr who caught it and slammed it home, immediately raising the roof with the celebratory noise from fans in attendance. Carr had a solid night shooting 5-for-6 overall in his 11-point performance.
The Spartans were interestingly enough out-rebounded by Alcorn State, but it seemed as if the Braves could not make a shot all night, which perhaps helps explain the difference. Heading into this game, MSU was a plus rebounding team, grabbing nearly 40 boards per game, but Alcorn State is also a solid rebounding team, averaging about 34 per game. The Braves out-rebounded the Spartans 41-38 on the night.
While the Spartans shot 40% from 3-point range, and nearly 53% from the field overall, the Braves could only post a 28% clip from beyond the arc and 26% from the field.
Sissoko also had an above-average night, especially throughout the first half. He posted five of his seven points, two rebounds, and both of his blocks for the night in the first half. Sissoko had a special audience in the crowd tonight as a couple of supporters from his home country of Mali were in attendance. Sissoko's supporters Aboubacar Dicko, a sophomore at MSU, and Seydou Dembele, who works for East Lansing Public Schools, were cheering on Sissoko from the stands.
The Spartans continued to impress in the closing minutes of the game as they piled on dunk after dunk. Potentially the most eye-opening dunk of the night came with about three minutes left. Michigan State was leading the Braves when Holloman stole the ball and charged down the court before throwing a pass off the backboard that found Fears who was already soaring through the air. The crowd erupted when Fears slammed it home, and that was the icing on the cake for the Spartans who were all smiles on the sidelines.
Michigan State improved to 3-2 on the season as the No. 18/19 Spartans gear up for a trip out west for Thanksgiving. The No. 3 ranked Arizona Wildcats await in Palm Springs, California on Thursday, at 4 p.m. Eastern time. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports following the Detroit Lions game.
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