There were some moments of anxiety, but for the most part, Michigan State basketball walked into The Barn, home of the Minnesota Gophers, on Wednesday night, and handed Minnesota their first loss of the season. The Spartans won 75-67 in the opening game of Big Ten play.
This was yet another night where MSU was able to score in an incredibly egalitarian fashion, with four Spartans finishing in double digits.
Those players were:
- Gabe Brown: 15 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist
- Tyson Walker: 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
- Joey Hauser: 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists
- Malik Hall: 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists
Max Christie also added 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. His fellow freshman Jaden Akins also played a great game, despite not scoring any points. It was his hustle in the second half that really kept the Spartans in the lead and that hustle will continue to earn him minutes.
This was yet another game where the Spartans almost let turnovers cost them a comfortable lead. They finished with 13 compared to the Gophers 2 turnovers.
Nonetheless, the Spartans shot a blistering 48% from three (and from the field in general).
Tyson Walker played an incredible game at the point guard position and really looked like the point guard this team has been missing since Cassius Winston left, which was super encouraging.
MSU will next face Penn State at home on Saturday at 2pm ET.
