Michigan State basketball

Jaxon Kohler helped Michigan State basketball overcome early post problems in the tougher-than-it-looked 70-57 win Thursday night at Breslin Center.

MSU made 7 of 13 3-pointers and limiting the Scarlet Knights to just 1-for-10 from behind the line. "It was kind of like about time that we made shots," said Walker, who went 3-for-5 from deep and just 4-for-10 overall Thursday. MSU’s defense got two stops and a Kohler baseline jumper and Hoggard’s third 3-pointer to build its lead back to 50-41 with 11:06 remaining. Kohler again replaced starting center Mady Sissoko, and he quickly got a defensive board and then finished inside with a layup at the other end. Hoggard turned it over to McConnell, who took it in transition for a layup that put Rutgers back up by a point. The Scarlet Knights also had a 42-34 rebounding advantage, including an 18-6 edge on the offensive glass that led to a 15-4 margin in second-chance points. Right after that, Walker hit a 3-pointer right after that to spark a 12-2 run that was capped by another 3 from Hoggard, with a pair of Kohler nifty post moves for layups sandwiched between. Rutgers had an 8-3 edge on the glass early, capped by a three-point play by Mawot Mag at the first media timeout. Clifford Omoruyi had 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Paul Mulcahy scored 12 and Caleb McConnell had 11 for Rutgers (13-6, 5-3). But we had to move on right away, and that's what we gotta do Sunday as well." "It was good that we only had two days really to kind of digest and we had to move on right away," said Hauser, who added six rebounds and four assists. Hoggard (16 points), Joey Hauser (13 points), Tyson Walker (12 points) and Jaden Akins (11 points) each had three 3-pointers.

Being called “the toughest team in the league” by Tom Izzo is like being called the smartest guy in the room by Albert Einstein.

Steve Pikiell on the difference in the game: “Giving up that percentage from three and not being able to generate any of that for ourselves really hurt us. With Michigan State coming off two straight losses, including a one-point home heartbreaker to Purdue, the Spartans and the Breslin Center were going to be on high alert no matter who walked through that door. The Spartans came in with a plus-five margin, ranking third in the Big Ten and top-50 nationally. Rutgers turned the tables, big-time, posting edges of 18-6 in offensive boards and 15-4 in second-chance points -- but could not take advantage because Michigan State spread the floor expertly, moved the ball well and shot the lights out (12-of-22 from deep) while the Scarlet Knights couldn't hit the side of a barn. Michigan State is always strong on the glass, and this season is no exception. “They might be the toughest team in the league,” Izzo said earlier this week.

Michigan State men's basketball ended a two-game losing streak with a 70-57 win over No. 23 Rutgers, as Tom Izzo's Spartans stay in the hunt for a Big Ten ...

After enjoying the friendly confines of the Breslin Center in their last two outings, Michigan State hits the road this weekend for a trip to Bloomington to battle Indiana on Sunday. He struggled to rebound against Rutgers' athletic bigs, and he was ultimately benched in favor of Kohler for much of the second half. Fortunately, the freshman big man took advantage of the opportunity with perhaps his best game as a Spartan. The junior played just 16 minutes and finished with two points, four rebounds and a blocked shot. While Michigan State won the game by 13, the Spartans were outscored by one point while Sissoko was on the floor. The Scarlet Knights shot just 34 percent from the floor, and were a ghastly 2-of-17 from beyond the three-point line. Michigan State had its hands full with the Scarlet Knights athletic bigs in the post, and that was clearly their defensive focus. Nine of those first 20 Rutgers rebounds came on the offensive end, which resulted in nine second chance points for the Scarlet Knights. We've seen better defensive performances from the Spartans this season, but MSU was good enough tonight to make Rutgers uncomfortable and miss a ton of shots. Akins and Walker each had four steals, while Hoggard added the ninth for MSU. MSU maintained that lead throughout the entirety of the second half, and pulled away late for a 70-56 victory over the Scarlet Knights. Meanwhile, Walker and freshman center Jaxon Kohler each scored 12 tonight for the Spartans, while sophomore guard Jaden Akins added 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals in an solid, all-around effort.