Michigan State went on the road to Madison for a classic Big Ten matchup against the Wisconsin Badgers inside of the Kohl Center.
It wasn’t easy, and at times looked doubtful, but the Spartans were able to pull out a gritty victory on the road against the Badgers.
AJ Hoggard earned his stripes, scoring 6 points and picking up a huge assist down the stretch to complete the comeback for Michigan State.
W IN WISCONSIN ✅ pic.twitter.com/RUhBz4XUmx
— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) January 11, 2023
Both Michigan State and Wisconsin showed up to play in the first half, trading blows and baskets. Neither team gained a lead more than two possessions.
Michigan State went into the half leading 33-31.
Majority of the second half did not go the Spartans way in Madison, finding themselves scratching and clawing to stay in the game, while a turnover problem that MSU has avoided this year came back to plague the team.
It all cumulated into a 59-54 Badger lead with 4:14 to go in the game. It was at this time the Spartans were ready to take the game back over.
Four straight Malik Hall points, followed by a Joey Hauser 3-pointer, gave the Spartans a 61-59 lead in the blink of an eye. From there, AJ Hoggard scored the next 6, all coming with the score tied.
The Spartans played strong defense in the final minute, not allowing a Wisconsin field goal, while making their free throws on the way to the 69-65 win.
Michigan State was led by Joey Hauser who scored 20 points. Tyson Walker had 13, Jaden Akins had 12 and Hoggard added 10. Mady Sissoko had a good day defensively grabbing 11 rebounds and Carson Cooper had 2 blocks and a steal to aid to the defensive efforts.
The Spartans will be back in action on Friday against Illinois in Champaign.
