Spartans bounce back from Iowa collapse to beat Nebraska: 'We did a total 360'
Matt CharboneauLincoln, Neb. – Tom Izzo admitted he was worried.
How would Michigan State respond after Saturday’s deflating defeat at Iowa when it led by 11 points with less than a minute to play?
After all, the Spartans have been overcoming adversity all season. From injuries that marred most of the non-conference portion of the schedule to the devastating mass shooting two weeks ago that has been weighing on each member of the team ever since.
So, heading into Tuesday night’s game against Nebraska – the hottest team in the Big Ten that had one five in a row – there was a decent dose of uncertainty, at least from the head coach.
“I was concerned,” Izzo said. “I was concerned that we had run out of gas. How many times can you get up off canvas? I was concerned about all those things. And I give my team a lot of credit. They've been through it all in the last three weeks.”
And for the better part of the first half on Tuesday, it looked like Izzo’s worries were justified as Michigan State opened the game shooting 4-for-24 and were flatfooted on defense, getting burned regularly as Nebraska raced out to a 15-point lead.
BOX SCORE: Michigan State 80, Nebraska 67
But as remarkable as the final minutes were days ago in Iowa City, the turnaround for the Spartans in Lincoln was nearly as remarkable.
Thanks to a huge turnaround defensively and some more torrid shooting, Michigan State flipped the game with a 15-1 run midway through the second half and pulled away for what turned into a dominating, 80-67 victory at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
“We needed a win,” Izzo said. “We got a big win. You’ve got some drained guys in (the locker room), coaches, too, and we have to get back up for Saturday.”
The regular-season finale against Ohio State can wait. For now, the Spartans (18-11, 10-8 Big Ten) can bask in what was a dominating second half, one in which Michigan State outscored Nebraska, 35-12 over the final 13:30 after the Cornhuskers had taken a 10-point lead.
Joey Hauser scored 20 and grabbed seven rebounds for the Spartans while Tyson Walker added 19, including 13 in the second half with seven straight coming in a stretch of 1:26 late in the game, the final three on a triple with 2:01 to play that essentially ended the game.
Jaden Akins added 17 for Michigan State but it was the play of A.J. Hoggard that really stood out. He scored 10 but dished out a career-high 14 assists with just one turnover on a second-half charge.
“Just to get over 10 was nice, but 14 assists and one turnover is definitely huge,” Hoggard said. “I’m kind of mad I got the charge or it would have been 14 and zero but having 14 assists is something to shoot for and I’ve never done it before in my life. This is my first time doing it so it definitely was exciting to do that. With the team I’ve got shooting the ball, it’s making shots and helping me get the assists. So, credit to them as well.”
Keisei Tominaga scored 20 for Nebraska (15-15, 8-11), which had its five-game win streak snapped. Jamarques Lawrence added 15 points while Derrick Walker scored 13 and Sam Griesel chipped in 12 for the Cornhuskers.
“I give Michigan State credit,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. “They made shots. I think they made their first five threes in the second half and they got comfortable and confident and that is how this game is. When you get comfortable, you get on a roll like that it is hard to stop.
“We have handled adversity beautifully all year. We really have, especially in this late stretch. Obviously that did not happen tonight.”
Early on, things were going all Nebraska’s way. After Hoggard hit a driving layup to open the game, it was all Nebraska as Michigan State opened going just 2-for-12 from the field, somehow managing to tie the game at 10 just six minutes in. That’s when the Cornhuskers took over, going on a 17-2 run as the Spartans went more than five minutes without scoring and almost eight without a basket.
Malik Hall and Walker ended that with back-to-back buckets, but the Spartans could get no closer than 12 and with a chance to cut into that on the final possession, failed to get a shot off as Hoggard tried to feed Mady Sissoko after the buzzer sounded. Nebraska led, 38-26, with Michigan State shooting 27.8% (10-for-36) while Nebraska was at 57.7% (15-for-26) with eight layups.
“We weren’t guarding anybody,” Hoggard said. “I couldn’t guard a sitting chair. I had to come out and regain some focus and just get my team going, pick up my defensive energy and that allowed us to make some shots. We did a total 360 in the second half.”
As Hoggard said, Michigan State started to make shots in the second half as it opened with four straight 3-pointers, including two in a row from Akins, to pull within 45-38. But the Spartans allowed Griesel to get open for a three to extend the Nebraska lead back to 10.
The Spartans responded with seven in a row to pull within 48-45, the closest it had been since early in the first half. But a turnover from Mady Sissoko helped ignite a seven-point surge from the Huskers and the lead was back to double digits at 55-45.
The defense final began to lock down, leading to the decisive run to close the game. It began with a 15-1 stretch that gave Michigan State the lead at 57-56, its first since leading 2-0. Hall, Walker and Hauser made three straight 3-pointers in that stretch and things kept rolling as Akins and Hauser hit again to push the lead to 66-60. A Sissoko dunk made it 68-60 and Michigan State locked it down defensively from there.
“Defensively we just stepped it up and made a decision,” Hauser said. “We were getting good looks in the first half we just weren’t making shots. We made a couple toward the end there to cut into their lead a little bit and for as bad as we played we were only down 12 going into the half. So, we just made a decision defensively and then we knocked down shots. That’s what it boiled down to.”
After Sissoko’s dunk, Walker hit a pair of free throws then hit two straight jumpers late in the shot clock, the second one a 3-pointer, to end any hope for the Cornhuskers.
“We needed to play good,” Izzo said. “We knew they run great offensive and their defense has gotten better. And we just had a hell of a second half.”
Twitter: @mattcharboneau