Michigan State Hangs on to Beat Villanova, 73-71

EAST LANSING Mich. – Michigan State took a 16-point lead in the second half and hung on for a 73-71 win over Villanova on Friday night in a Gavitt Tipoff Game at the Breslin Center.

Senior guard Tyson Walker led the way for the Spartans with 22, while adding five assists and three rebounds, to lead four players in double figures.

Junior guard A.J. Hoggard had a double-double with 13 points and tied his career-high with 10 assists, while leading the team with eight rebounds, graduate forward Joey Hauser scored 13 points, grabbed five rebounds and had two assists and senior forward Malik Hall added 12 points, two rebounds and two assists. Sophomore guard Jaden Akins chipped in nine points and five rebounds off the bench.

Records
Michigan State improves to 3-1 overall while Villanova falls to 2-2.

Recap

Michigan State led by 10 points (34-24) at the break and led by as many as 16 points (61-45) and were still up by seven points (70-63) after a jumper from Walker with 1:58 to play in the game.
The MSU lead was six points, 72-66, after a layup from Hoggard with 1:05 to play, but Caleb Daniels scored to cut the lead to four points and after a turnover, Jordan Longino hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 72-71 with 49 seconds left.
The Wildcats fouled Walker with 16 seconds left and he hit 1-of-2 free throws, setting up the final shot. The Spartans held off Villanova on a last second 3-point attempt.
MSU had led by 10 points, 34-24, at the break, but Villanova pulled to within 42-36 on a layup from Eric Dixon with 14:25 to play.
Sophomore guard Pierre Brooks hit a 3-pointer to start a 17-7 run as the Spartans extended their lead to 16 points, 61-45, when Walker hit the third of three-straight baskets with 8:09 to play.
Villanova responded with a 16-4 run and pulled to within 65-61 on a 3-pointer from Caleb Daniels with 2:54 to play, setting up the wild finish.
The Spartans went into the half with a 34-24 lead, using a 21-6 run over 7:32 and taking a 12-point lead (34-22) on a 3-pointer from Walker with 58 seconds left.
MSU had a chance to extend its lead but missed a shot and Villanova cut the lead to 10 points on an Eric Dixon dunk.
The Spartans had jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead after back-to-back 3-pointers from Hauser and Hall, but Villanova was able to work back to take a 14-11 lead after a 3-pointer from Dixon at the 9:37 mark.
The Wildcats still led 16-13 before a 3-pointer from Hoggard at 8:30 tied the game and a trey from Walker at 7:17 gave MSU the lead.

Key Stats

Michigan State connected on 51.9 percent of its field goals (28-of-54), including 55.6 percent in the second half (15-of-27).
The Spartans hit a season-high 13 shots from 3-point land, shooting 52.0 percent from long distance (13-of-25), including 57.1 percent in the first half (8-of-14).
MSU held a 31-26 advantage on the boards, collected five offensive rebounds and scored 12 second-chance points in the second half.
The Spartans committed six turnovers in the second half and Villanova scored 12 points off of those.

Notes

Villanova leads the all-time series between the teams 3-2, but the Spartans have won two of the last three games.
The Spartans are now 3-0 all-time in the Gavitt Tipoff Games.
Four Michigan State players scored in double figures for the second-straight game.
Tyson Walker scored a team-high 22 points, his third game in double figures, the 49th of his career and the 12th time he has scored at least 20 points.
Walker, who passed the 1,000-point mark for his career in the win over Kentucky on Tuesday, now has 1,026 career points.
A.J. Hoggard tied his career-high with 10 assists.
Hoggard nearly had the first triple-double for Michigan State since Denzel Valentine (vs. Boston College, 2015, 29 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists), finishing with 13 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Hoggard scored in double figures for the second time this season and the 13th time in his career.
This was his third game with at least 10 assists in his career and his third career double-double.
Joey Hauser scored 13 points, his third game in double figure this year and the 25th of his career.
Malik Hall finished with 12 points, his third game in double figures this year and the 26th of his career.

Up Next
Michigan State hits the road again next week and will play Alabama in the Phil Knight Invitational on Thursday, Nov. 24. The first of three games in Portland, Ore. will air live on ESPN at 10:30 p.m. (ET).

Next Event

Team Stats

Tyson Walker

Joey Hauser

A.J. Hoggard

Malik Hall

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