Michigan State bounced back from two consecutive losses with a strong defensive outing Sunday.
The Spartans (10-7, 2-4 Big Ten) held Rutgers to 37-percent shooting in a 73-55 victory and now host the Minnesota Golden Gophers at East Lansing, Mich., Thursday.
Michigan State took command in the second half Sunday with a 19-0 run in the second half.
“We weren’t very good offensively. We were stagnant. We won a game defensively,” coach Tom Izzo said. “It really was our defense, not our offense. So, I think that bodes volumes for our team.”
The Spartans entered that game tied for last place in the conference standings. They will need a hot streak to get back in the race for the conference title.
“We just need to get grittier,” Spartans guard Tre Holloman said. “We are getting there, but we need to do it even more.”
Michigan State forward Malik Hall led a balanced attack with 15 points. In the Spartans’ past three victories, Hall is averaging 19.0 points.
“If he can get consistent, it really changes our team,” Izzo said.
Dawson Garcia’s 30-point outing Monday wasn’t enough to prevent the Golden Gophers (12-5, 3-3) from dropping their second straight Big Ten contest.
They lost at home to Iowa 86-77 as the Hawkeyes shot 53.8 percent from the field and scored 56 points in the paint. Iowa also had a 37-30 rebounding advantage.
“We talked about being able to control the paint,” Minnesota head coach Ben Johnson said. “We didn’t do a very good job of doing that. We’ve got to figure that piece out.”
Minnesota had won seven in a row before losses to Indiana and Iowa. The Gophers’ 3-point shooting has nosedived over the past three games. They’ve made just 14-of-72 attempts (19.4 percent) from beyond the arc.
Mike Mitchell Jr. and Elijah Hawkins have made just 4 of 26 attempts (15.4 percent) from 3-point range during that span.
“The hardest part is you just have to see one go in,” Johnson said.
–Field Level Media