NEW YORK – Michigan State's men's basketball team had an eight-point lead early in the second half and led by five near the midpoint, but could not hang on as Rutgers held on for a 61-55 win over the Spartans at Madison Square Garden on Saturday afternoon.
Senior guard
Tyson Walker scored 12 points, grabbed four rebounds and had two assists to lead the Spartans and graduate forward
Joey Hauser added 10 points and five rebounds.
Records
Michigan State falls to 14-9 overall and 6-6 in the Big Ten Conference, while Rutgers improves to 16-7 and 8-4 in the league.
Recap
- Michigan State used a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Jaden Akins and free throws from junior guard A.J. Hoggard to break a 33-all tie and take a 38-33 lead with 11:03 to play.
- The Spartans still led by three points, 40-37, after a jumper from Hauser with 9:21 left, but that would be the last lead as Rutgers used a 9-0 run to take a 46-40 lead on a free throw from Caleb McConnell with 4:55 on the clock.
- Free throws from Malik Hall and a dunk from Mady Sissoko got MSU to within two points, 46-44, but Paul Mulcahy hit 1-of-2 free throws and a pair of driving layups, including one with 2:12 to play, pushing the lead to seven points, 51-44.
- The Scarlet Knights hit 10-fo-11 free throws in the final two minutes to seal the win.
- MSU had gone into the break with a 25-19 lead and pushed the lead to eight points, first at 29-21 on a Hoggard layup (18:10) and then on a layup from Walker (16:49), making it 31-23.
- The first half was sluggish as both teams struggled from the field, with MSU shooting 37.9 percent and Rutgers just 24.1 percent), and a combined 13 turnovers.
- Tied at 19-all with 2:32 left, the Spartans scored the final six points of the first half to take a 25-19 lead on a fast break layup from Akins as time expired.
Key Stats
- Michigan State shot just 34.5 percent from the floor (20-of-58), including 19.0 percent from 3-point distance (4-of-21).
- After holding Rutgers to 19 points in the first half on 24.1 percent shooting (7-of-29), the Spartans allowed 42 points in the second half, including 16 in the paint, as the Scarlet Knights connected on 57.9 percent of their shots from the floor (11-of-19) and
- Michigan State committed 14 turnovers.
Notes
- Michigan State and Rutgers split the season series.
- The Spartans lead the all-time series with Rutgers, 12-3, but the Scarlet Knights have won three of the last four games.
- Michigan State has a 4-16 record all-time at Madison Square Garden, including a 4-12 mark under Head Coach Tom Izzo.
- Michigan State is 1-7 in games when its opponent shoots better from the floor (37.5 percent to 34.5 percent).
- The Spartans held a 44-34 advantage in rebounding, just the second time this season they lost when controlling the boards (11-2).
- The Spartans scored 55 points, its second-lowest in a game this season and the fewest in a Big Ten game.
- Tyson Walker scored 12 points to lead MSU, his 18th game in double figures this year and the 64th of his career.
- Joey Hauser scored 10 points, his 19th game in double figures and the 41st of his career.
Up Next
Michigan State returns home next week and hosts Maryland on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at the Breslin Center (9 p.m., ESPN2).
