Michigan State University
7-3,1-0Big Ten
Oakland
5-6,0-0Horizon
Henry, Tillman Help Lead No. 16 Michigan State Past Oakland, 72-49
12/14/2019 2:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DETROIT – Sophomore forward Aaron Henry (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) scored 10 points and Michigan State had 12 players scored at least two points as the 16th-ranked Spartans cruised past Oakland, 72-49, at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Henry scored eight of his 10 points in the second half while adding six assists and two rebounds. Junior forward Xavier Tillman (Grand Rapids, Mich./GR Christian) had nine points and 13 rebounds, senior guard Cassius Winston (Detroit, Mich./University of Detroit Jesuit) added nine points and four assists, sophomore forward Gabe Brown (Ypsilanti, Mich./Belleville) finished with nine points and six rebounds and sophomore forward Thomas Kithier (Clarkston, Mich./Clarston) chipped in with eight points and six rebounds.
Records
Michigan State won its second-straight game and improved to 7-3 overall, while the Golden Grizzlies fall to 5-6.
Summary
- The Spartans had a 34-19 lead at the break and scored the first 10 points of the second half, extending their lead to 44-19 on a layup from Henry at the 17:04 mark.
- MSU took its biggest lead of the game, 59-30, on a 3-pointer from Henry with 7:41 to play.
- Head Coach Tom Izzo cleared the bench in the final minutes, with redshirt sophomore guard Jack Hoiberg (Burr Ridge, Ill./Hinsdale Central) scoring three points, redshirt sophomore guard Brock Washington (Southfield, Mich./Southfield Christian) scoring two points and freshman guard Steven Izzo (East Lansing, Mich./Lansing Catholic) grabbing three rebounds.
- Michigan State took a 34-19 lead at the break, with Kithier scoring eight points and Winston and Brown adding seven points apiece.
- After a sluggish start, with neither team scoring for the first three minutes, a pair of free throws from Brown at the 17:11 mark gave MSU a 2-0 lead.
- A jumper from Daniel Oladapo gave Oakland a 6-4 lead, but MSU used an 8-0 burst on back-to-back 3-pointers from redshirt senior Kyle Ahrens (Versailles, Ohio/Versailles) and Winston and a layup from Kithier, to take a 12-6 lead.
- Leading 12-9, MSU went on a 12-0 run, including a 3-pointer from redshirt senior Conner George (Okemos, Mich./Okemos), to take a 24-9 lead on a Winston jumper with 8:14 left, holding the Golden Grizzlies scoreless for nearly five minutes.
- MSU's biggest lead of the first half, 32-13, came after a Tillman layup with 3:12 to play.
Key Stats
- Michigan State held Oakland to just 49 points, including 19 in the first half.
- The Spartans connected on 76.0 percent of their 2-point attempts (19-of-25).
- Twelve different players scored at least one point and 12 had at least one rebound.
- MSU held a commanding 54-31 advantage in rebounding.
- The Spartans handed out 21 assists on 26 made field goals
- Michigan State leads the all-time series with Oakland, 18-0.
- The Spartans have won both games played at Little Caesars Arena.
- In holding Oakland to 49 points, it marked the third time this season MSU has held an opponent to below 50 points.
- MSU held Oakland to 26.2 percent shooting from the floor (17-of-65), a season-low for the Spartans and the third time this season an opponent shot 30 percent or lower.
- Sophomore forward Aaron Henry scored in double figures for the fifth time this season and the ninth time in his career.
- This was his second time leading the team in scoring this year and the third of his career.
- Henry set a season-high, and tied his career best, with six assists (also had six against LSU on March 29, 2019).
- Junior forward Xavier Tillman grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds, his fifth game this year with at least 10 and the ninth of his career.
- The 3-pointer hit by redshirt senior Conner George in the first half was the first of his career.
- MSU grabbed 54 rebounds, tied for a season-high (Charleston Southern, Nov. 18, 2019).
- The Spartans scored 30 points off the bench, the third time this season they have received at least 30 from its reserves.
Up Next
Michigan State returns back to Big Ten Conference play, visiting Northwestern on Wednesday, Dec. 18. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. on BTN, with Dave Revsine and Robbie Hummel calling all of the action.
