It took longer than most expected, but Michigan State men's basketball rebounded from a poor first half defensive and demolished in-state rival Michigan, 81-62, on Tuesday night at the Breslin Center. The 19-point victory is the largest for the Spartans in this series since a 75-52 victory back on February 12, 2013.
Here are five observations from a happy night in East Lansing...
1.) Jaden Akins explodes from long range
It was a good night for Jaden Akins to come alive from 3-point range. The junior has struggled to shoot with any consistency from outside this season, but Akins took advantage of several open opportunities early against Michigan's porous perimeter defense, and then got into a rhythm we haven't seen from him all season. Akins shot a scorching-hot 7-of-10 from long distance on his way to a career-high 23 points. The junior made an impact in other areas as well with three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Akins scored 22 points earlier this season against Stony Brook, but tonight's was the type of performance we've been waiting to see out of him. After shooting 42% from 3-point range last season, Akins had connected on just 35.6% of his attempts from long range coming into this game, the lowest mark of his career. It's only one game, but if the junior can shoot closer to that 42% down the stretch for MSU, this team just might still be able to make some noise.
2.) Xavier Booker, Coen Carr early impact?
Head coach Tom Izzo gave his freshmen forwards a chance to make a difference early in this game, and both Xavier Booker and Coen Carr played well in limited first half minutes. In three minutes of action, Booker banked in a 3-pointer from the top of the key and pulled down a rebound in traffic. He also came awfully close to a clean blocked shot, but was whistle for a foul on the follow-through. It wasn't a long stint, but Booker made the most of it.
Carr, meanwhile, got a little run in the first half with six minutes played. He scored on a driving layup and then, on the very next defensive sequence, had one of the best blocked shots I've ever seen when he denied Michigan's Olivier Nkamhoua's dunk attempt at the rim. Take a look...
Unfortunately, the second half was much of what we've seen throughout the year, with both freshmen sitting the bench for the majority of the second half. It's hard to argue with tonight's results however, as Michigan State dominated their rivals after halftime.
3.) MSU's defense shuts Wolverines down after halftime
Michigan came out flamethrowing on offense in this one. At one point midway through the first half, the Wolverines knocked down eight consecutive shots and were shooting around 80 percent from the floor. Some of that was due to defensive breakdowns from the Spartans, and some was just Michigan hitting some tough shots. At halftime, the Wolverines were shooting 61% from the floor and were 5-of-9 from 3-point range.
It was an entirely different story in the second half, as Michigan State dialed up their defensive intensity and shut down their rivals. After halftime, the Wolverines shot just 25% from the floor and went 3-for-11 from long range. For the game, the Spartans had 11 steals and forced 13 total Michigan turnovers, leading to 20 points at the other end for MSU.
4.) Another milestone for Malik Hall
Michigan State fifth-year senior Malik Hall scored in double figures for the sixth consecutive game with 12 points for the Spartans tonight, on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting. He also added three rebounds, which pushed Hall over 600 for his career. A little under two weeks ago, Hall eclipsed 1,000 career points, and he becomes the 22nd player in MSU men's basketball history to accomplish both feats in their career. Hall also held his own fairly well down low defensively amidst several post-ups from the Wolverines.
5.) Hoggard, Holloman had strong nights offensively
Michigan State's leading scorer, Tyson Walker, struggled at the offensive end for the second consecutive game. The senior went 0-for-6 from 3-point range and shot just 5-of-14 from the floor on his way to 12 points. Fortunately, the rest of the Spartans' backcourt stepped up in a major way. In addition to Akins' night, which we detailed above, both A.J. Hoggard and Tre Holloman had strong performances at the offensive end. Hoggard had an all-around performance with 15 points, seven assists, four rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot. Holloman got in some foul trouble, but still finished with seven points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting, and added a pair of assists and a steal.
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