MINNEAPOLIS – After their win on Thursday against Minnesota, Michigan State men’s basketball took on No. 1 seed Purdue in the quarterfinal of the Big Ten Tournament.
In one of the most hard fought games of the season, MSU ultimately fell to Purdue, 67-62.
“Really proud of my team,” said MSU head coach Tom Izzo. “And I don’t throw that word around often.”
MSU trailed for all but 29 seconds of Friday’s game, yet stayed on Purdue’s heels all afternoon. The Boilermakers led by 12 at the start of the second half and withstood several runs from MSU in the latter stages of the game.
“That was a war tonight,” said Izzo. “That was a classic Purdue-Michigan State from 20 years ago.”
Both sides struggled on offense for stretches. There were multiple scoring droughts between the two sides that lasted several minutes, and only nine combined three pointers made on 32 attempts. MSU shot only 39 percent from the field, compared to Purdue, who shot 41 percent.
One of the most glaring stat comparisons was the foul count between the two sides.
Four MSU players, including three starters, recorded four fouls. Graduate guard Tyson Walker recorded three fouls in the first half alone. Senior center Mady Sissoko fouled out in only ten minutes of action, recording two points and seven rebounds.
The Spartans recorded 29 fouls, compared to Purdue’s 17. The Boilermakers shot 27 free-throws, connecting on 18 attempts, while MSU made 10 of its 12 free-throw attempts.
Zach Edey recorded a game-high 29 points and 12 rebounds, to go along with four assists in 35 minutes of action. The senior center also went 9-14 from the free-throw line.
Graduate guard Lance Jones was the only other player to score in double figures for Purdue, recording 10 points and four rebounds, while also taking four charges.
“Today, taking those charges, defending those guards…he wasn’t a big piece from a scoring standpoint, but he affected the rest of the game,” said Purdue head coach Matt Painter of Jones.
“We’re very fortunate to have him,” said Painter.
For MSU, graduate guard Tyson Walker led the team in scoring with 15 points, but shot only 6-18 from the field. Graduate forward Malik Hall recorded 12 points and seven rebounds, while Tre Holloman recorded 10 points and four rebounds.
Senior guard AJ Hoggard was a difference maker for the Spartans. Hoggard recorded eight points and four rebounds, going 3-8 from the field and recording a game high 10 assists.
MSU will now await Selection Sunday to find out if it has qualified for the NCAA Tournament, along with their seeding and region if they’re selected.
“I’m not a big moral victory guy,” said Hoggard. “I’m big on the way we competed. I think we did a good job of competing. I think we have the talent, I think we have the coaching staff to make a run in the tournament.”
