Post Game Notes: Rutgers
1/31/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Michigan State hosted Rutgers for the first time in program history and moved to 3-0 all-time against Rutgers with the 96-62 win.
The Spartans tied a school-record 17 3-pointers with five players sinking at least one from long-range. Senior guards Denzel Valentine and Bryn Forbes combined for 12 from distance, six each. MSU has knocked down 33 field goals from distance in the past two outings.
Senior forward Matt Costello posted his sixth double-double of the year and ninth of his career with 12 points and 13 rebounds. His work on the glass was balanced, grabbing six on the offensive end and seven on the defensive.
Costello swatted three shots in the contest, upping his career-block total to 132. He needs just two more blocks to meet Drew Naymick in third place in Spartan history with 134 blocks.
Senior guard Bryn Forbes netted six from long range, scoring 18 points in 23 minutes. All six of Forbes' 3's came in the first half.
Senior guard Denzel Valentine scored a team-high 20 points, shooting 7-15 from the field and 6-11 from distance. Valentine grabbed seven rebounds and dished out six assists in 30 minutes of play.
MSU outworked Rutgers 56-27 on the glass, including a 17-5 mark in favor of the Spartans on the offensive end. Michigan State posted a +22 rebounding margin in the second half.
The Spartans closed out the month of January with a 6-3 mark.
All 15 healthy Spartans saw the hardwood tonight with 12 scoring at least two points.
MSU scored 96 points in the game, the most in a Big Ten matchup this season. Of the 96 points, 51 came from 3-point range.
Michigan State is a perfect 16-0 when leading at the half.
This is the third-straight opponent MSU has held to 65 points or under.
The 96-62 victory over Rutgers sets the largest margin of victory (34 points) against a Big Ten opponent since at the Spartans beat Penn State by 37 in an 86-49 victory on Feb. 20, 2008.
This marks the first time the Spartans have beaten a Big Ten opponent by 30 or more since beating Iowa by 34 in a 95-61 contest on Jan. 10, 2012.
Michigan State moves to 18-7 all-time on Jan. 31, including 14-3 at home.
