Malik Hall had 15 points and six rebounds and Michigan State used a 19-0 second-half outburst to claim a 73-55 victory over Rutgers on Sunday afternoon in East Lansing, Mich.
Tyson Walker supplied 13 points and four assists for the Spartans (10-7, 2-4 Big Ten), who had lost their previous two games. Tre Holloman had nine points and six assists, and Jaden Akins also added nine points. A.J. Hoggard chipped in seven points with six assists for Michigan State.
Aundre Hyatt led the Scarlet Knights (9-7, 1-4) with 14 points and Mawot Mag added 12. Rutgers shot 37 percent from the field and made 10 turnovers.
Neither team had a lead bigger than five points until the final basket of the first half.
Rutgers held a 17-14 lead with nine minutes left in the half after Mag drained a 3-pointer. Akins tied it with a 3-pointer.
Michigan State finished the half with a 6-0 spurt to take a 28-22 lead. Hall made a free throw and Walker converted a layup. Hoggard found Walker on a kick-out pass for a 3-pointer with 21 seconds left.
Walker was the only player in double figures at the break with 10 points, while Hyatt paced Rutgers with seven points.
Hall made a 3-pointer 25 seconds into the second half to give the Spartans a nine-point advantage. It didn’t last long, as the Scarlet Knights responded with a 12-1 run.
Hyatt got it going with a 3-pointer. Derek Simpson tied the score with a 3-pointer and Austin Williams gave Rutgers a 34-32 lead with a putback.
After Mag’s layup gave Rutgers a 36-35 edge, the Spartans suddenly erupted with their 19-0 run.
Hall sparked it with a dunk and a three-point play. Walker, Holloman and Akins knocked down 3-pointers during that span and Coen Carr finished it off with a three-point play to make it 54-36.
Hyatt free throws completed the Spartans’ run, but the Scarlet Knights couldn’t recover from their scoring drought.
–Field Level Media