EAST LANSING, Mich. _ Tom Izzo worried about where Michigan State's focus might be against Oakland.
Almost immediately, he yanked starting point guard Cassius Winston after a casual turnover, not even 3 minutes into the game.
Message sent. Message received.
The Spartans dialed in after that and played turnover-free basketball for the final 17:27 of the opening half, sharing the ball at a high volume and hitting shots from long distance. No. 10 MSU pulled away to a 99-69 win Friday night at Breslin Center.
Winston recovered and finished with 26 points on 10 of 13 shooting, including 4 of 7 3-pointers. He added three assists and did not turn the ball over again after his early giveaway that drew Izzo's ire. The junior point guard also directed a transition game that outscored the Golden Grizzlies, 47-6, on the fast break.
The Spartans (10-2) have not lost to Oakland in 17 meetings since the Golden Grizzlies (4-9) moved to Division I in 1998-99.
Winston and Matt McQuaid each committed a turnover 14 seconds apart, which left Izzo fuming. Those would be the Spartans' only giveaways of the opening half as they built a 16-point lead.
Oakland cut the Spartans' lead to 12 points with 13:05 left in the second half on back-to-back 3-pointers by Karmani Newman. But MSU (10-2) went on a 28-8 run _ including 17 straight _ to seal the win.
Nick Ward added 14 points and seven rebounds, while Joshua Langford scored 12 in a balanced effort.
MSU equaled its season-low with seven turnovers, though four of those came after the Spartans' big knockout run.
The battle between Ward and Oakland's Xavier Hill-Mais lived up to its hype, as the two big men bumped and banged around in the post all night.
Ward missed his first shot but then hit his last six before getting into foul trouble. He did not return after picking up his fourth foul with 10:40 remaining.
The 6-foot-7, 248-pound Hill-Mais sat out last season as a redshirt but played against the Spartans his first two seasons and looked unfazed by the atmosphere. He finished 8 of 20 for 17 points before fouling out with 7:45 to play.
Braden Norris led Oakland with 18 points, including six of the Grizzlies' 13 3-pointers. Jaevin Cumberland scored 13 points and Newman had 11.
MSU continued to distribute the ball at a high rate, with 15 assists on 17 baskets in the first half. The Spartans also shot 58.6 percent before the break, then added to it in the second half by making 21 of 36 shots, though their assist total dipped as Izzo began subbing.
Xavier Tillman set a personal best with five assists, two others had four and three others had three as MSU ended with 27 helpers.
Izzo also was able to mix in his freshmen early and with the regular playing group, inserting Foster Loyer when he pulled Winston early.
The Spartans are off until they host Northern Illinois on Dec. 29.
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