Michigan State University
Louisville
No. 22 Michigan State Beats Louisville, 73-64, in Big Ten/ACC Challenge
12/1/2021 10:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball
East Lansing, Mich. – Junior forward Malik Hall (Aurora, Ill./Sunrise Christian Academy [Kan.]) scored 15 points to lead four players in double figures and No. 22 Michigan State used a big run in the second half to hold on for a 73-64 win over Louisville in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Wednesday night at the Breslin Center.
Hall scored eight of his 15 points in the second half and grabbed four rebounds to lead the Spartans, while freshman guard Max Christie (Arlington Heights, Ill./Rolling Meadows) had 11 points, senior forward Gabe Brown (Ypsilanti, Mich./Belleville) added 10 points and five rebounds and freshman guard Jaden Akins (Farmington, Mich./Farmington Hills/Sunrise Christian Academy [Kan.]) chipped in 10 points.
Junior guard Tyson Walker (Westbury, N.Y./Christ the King/Northeastern) only had two points, but handed out a career-high 10 assists, blocked a shot and had four steals.
Recap
- Leading 39-37 early in the second half after Louisville cut Michigan State's 36-28 halftime lead to two points, the Spartans used a 24-6 run over a span of nearly seven minutes and took a 63-43 lead on a pair of free throws from sophomore guard A.J. Hoggard (Coatesville, Pa./Huntington Prep [W.Va.]) with 7:54 left.
- The Cardinals made a 19-7 run in the next six minutes and pulled to within 70-62 on a layup from Eli Ellis with 1:26 to play, but that was as close as they would get.
- Hoggard hit a free throw and Christie added two more in the final minute to seal the win.
- Michigan State led by eight points, 36-28, at the break, but Louisville pulled to within two points, 39-37, on a jumper from Jarrod West at the 16:17 mark.
- The Spartans responded with a 13-2 run over a span of 2:01 and took a 52-39 lead on a 3-pointer from Hall with 12:24 to play, as Louisville called a timeout.
- The opening minutes of the first half were sluggish as the teams combined for 16 turnovers in the first 16 minutes.
- Louisville took a 22-21 lead on a 3-pointer from Jarrod West with 5:40 to play, the last of five lead changes in the opening 20 minutes.
- The Spartans began to limit turnovers – committing just one in the final four minutes of the first half – and used a 9-0 run to take a 30-22 lead on a trio of 3-pointers from Hall, Christie and the last from freshman guard Pierre Brooks (Detroit, Mich./Frederick Douglass Academy) with 4:08 left and forcing Louisville to call a timeout.
- The Cardinals pulled to within 32-28 on a jumper from Dre Davis, but Bingham hit a pair of free throws with 1:34 and a dunk with 12 seconds left to give MSU a 36-28 lead.
- Michigan State connected on a season-high 10 3-pointers and shot 55.6 percent from outside the arc (10-of-18).
- The Spartans shot 46.9 percent from the floor overall (23-of-49).
- Behind 10 from Tyson Walker, the Spartans handed out 20 assists on 23 made field goals (67.0%).
- MSU committed 19 turnovers and Louisville scored 21 points off those turnovers, including 15 in the second half when a 20-point lead was trimmed to 10 points in the final minutes.
- The Spartans out-rebounded Louisville, 37-31, including 19-14 in the second half.
- MSU's bench accounted for 39 of its 73 points (53.4%).
- The all-time series between the teams is now even at six wins apiece.
- The Spartans are 4-0 all-time against the Cardinals at home.
- The teams are 1-1 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
- Michigan State now has an all-time record of 9-12 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
- Malik Hall scored 15 points to lead the Spartans, his third game in double figures this year.
- Max Christie scored 11 points, his third game in double figures this year.
- Freshman guard Jaden Akins scored 10 points, his second-straight game in double figures.
- Senior forward Gabe Brown scored 10 points, his seventh game in double figures this year.
- Junior guard Tyson Walker handed out 10 assists, the most for a Michigan State player since Cassius Winston handed out 11 against Binghamton on November 10, 2019.
- The 10 assists were also a career high for Walker, bettering the mark he had of nine set last year when he was at Northeastern against Hofstra.
- Senior forward Marcus Bingham Jr. tied his career-high with 12 rebounds.
Up Next
Michigan State plays the second of two-straight home games on Saturday, Dec. 4, hosting Toledo at the Breslin Center. The game airs live on BTN at 5 p.m., with Cory Provus and Brian Butch calling all of the action.
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