Michigan State had a tough in-conference matchup today as they faced off against the No. 9 Wisconsin Badgers. The Spartans played hosts to the Badgers and they were able to invite family members of both teams for the Christmas Day game. Unfortunately, the Spartans did not get a Christmas miracle today as they ended up losing 85-76.
The Spartans struggled shooting early, which dug them in a hole early. They did struggle with turning the ball over which always seems to be a problem the Spartans. They had 14 turnovers compared to Wisconsin’s seven. The Spartans also fouled a lot more than the Badgers with 26 fouls to 18.
The Badgers capitalized on the Spartans miscues and were able to use a strong end to the second half to get the win. This is the Badgers first win at the Breslin Center since 2004. They lost 12 straight games at Breslin before getting the win today. The Spartans have lost two in a row to fall to 6-2 on the season. The Badgers improved to 8-1 and 2-0 in Big Ten play.
Joey Hauser led the way for the Spartans with a career-high 27 points on 7-9 shooting and 3-3 from three with seven rebounds. Aaron Henry added 12 points, shooting 5-13 from the field with six rebounds.
D’Mitrik Trice, brother of former Spartan Travis Trice, led the way for the Badgers with a season-high 29 points on 7-14 shooting and 4-7 from beyond the arc.
The Spartans next game is on Monday Dec. 28 against the Minnesota Golden Golphers at 8:00 p.m. EST.
