Even Tom Izzo was impressed by MSU's dominance of Penn State
Tony Paul
East Lansing — It was Alumni Day at Breslin Center on Thursday.
And in front of the slightly older crowd, the old Izzone members filling in for the current one with Michigan State students still on winter break, the men's basketball team was kind enough to put this one to bed early.
Behind do-everything performances from Malik Hall and Tyson Walker, particularly in the opening half, the Spartans made absolute mincemeat out of Penn State, 92-61, in what arguably was Michigan State's most-dominant and complete performance of the season.
Hall finished with 24 points and Walker had 22 points, six steals and five assists as the Spartans (9-5, 1-2) earned their first Big Ten win of the season. It was their fifth straight win overall, and first of 2024, as Michigan State threw its fans one heck of a New Year's party, with the only thing missing being the party favors. Maybe next time.
There were plenty of noisemakers, though, for Michigan State, which shot 56.3% for the game and 47.6% from 3-point range.
Kanye Clary scored 21 to lead Penn State (7-7, 1-2), which shot just 32.3% and 10.3% from 3 (Penn State missed 26 3's). Nick Kern added 10 points.
"Our defense, I think, was deserving of my credit," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. "I don't usually give it out much."
Michigan State led by as many as 30 points, 67-37, early in the second half, to the delight of new football coach Jonathan Smith, who watched from his center-courtside seats. The crowd also included several Spartans of yesteryear, including Kalin Lucas and Paul Davis.
Penn State, still looking for the first true road win of the Mike Rhoades era, did cut the deficit to under 20, 71-52, before a Mady Sissoko second-chance layup, rebounding his own miss, and a Walker bucket got Michigan State rolling again.
A Hall 3-pointer from the corner pushed the lead back to 28, at 80-52. A steal and a dunk by Hall made it 82-54. Hall was 9-for-12 shooting, and exited with more than 4 minutes remaining, to a big hug from Izzo, and a big ovation from the crowd.
BOX SCORE: Michigan State 92, Penn State 61
"They whooped us. An old-fashioned whoopin' right there," Rhoades said. "We sure had our hands full today.
"We were soft. You gotta get tougher."
Sophomore guard Tre Hollomon, junior guard Jaden Akins and senior guard A.J. Hoggard each added 10 points for the Spartans, who topped 90 points for the second time this season (Stony Brook, 99-55). Akins and Hoggard combined for six points in the first half, amid foul trouble.
The "We Want Steven" chants started with more than 3 minutes remaining, and the fans got their wish with 2:12 left. Steven Izzo made the box score, grabbing a rebound on the final possession, and dribbling out the clock, but continues to look for his first collegiate points. He took a deep 3, and it looked right online, but it was short.
Steven Izzo, shocker, got an earful from pops after that one.
"The only guy that didn't play good," Tom Izzo joked, "was the Izzo kid."
Michigan State — which averaged just 63.5 points in its first two Big Ten games, losses to Nebraska and Wisconsin four weeks ago — absolutely dominated the first half, leading, 51-26, at the break, marking the first time the Spartans have scored 50 in an opening half against a Big Ten opponent since they did it Jan. 2, 2019, against Northwestern at Breslin Center.
It was the Walker and Hall show from the get-go, with Walker scoring eight straight points in one quick stretch, on a driving layup and back-to-back 3-pointers. Walker also had six steals in the first half, the last turning into a high-flying, fast-break dunk by Hollomon that brought the Breslin Crowd to its feet — or at least those who weren't already on their feet.
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That was Walker's fifth assist of the half, to go with 13 points. For the game, MSU had 25 assists on 36 baskets.
"We've always moved the ball," said Walker, the graduate-student guard.
"We're just making shots now, so it looks a lot better."
Walker finished 9-for-14 shooting for the game.
Hall, a graduate-student forward, scored 15 in the first half on 6-for-6 shooting, as the Spartans shot 64.5% from the field in the opening 20 minutes. Hall also had three steals in the game.
Hollomon, whose role is increasing with freshman guard Jeremy Fears out after leg surgery for a gun-shot wound, had eight points and five assists in the first half, two of those assists standing out more than the others. The first was an alley-oop to Hall, and the second came after he missed his own shot in traffic in the point, grabbed his own rebound while he was on the floor, and getting it to Sissoko, who made the bucket and the and-one.
After Sissoko's bucket, Hollomon stayed on the floor for several moments, flexing for the appreciative fans.
Sissoko, a senior center, had a team-high 12 rebounds for the game.
Penn State shot just 38.5% in the first half, and that's when it was able to even get a shot off. The Nittany Lions turned it over 14 times, leading to 20 MSU points.
Michigan State next plays Sunday at Northwestern.
"As I told Mike after, we might not be as good as we played, and they're not as bad as they played," Izzo said. "We did the things we've gotta do. Now we'll see if we can go on the road and do it."
@tonypaul1984