Friday, December 4
East Lansing, Mich.
5 PM
Michigan State University
4-0,0-0Big Ten
83
vs
76
Detroit Mercy
0-1,0-0Horizon
1
2
F
Detroit Mercy
35
41
76
Michigan St.
35
48
83
Michigan State Uses Late Run to Beat Detroit Mercy, 83-76
12/4/2020 7:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball
East Lansing, Mich.. – Sophomore guard Rocket Watts (Detroit, Mich./SPIRE Academy) scored a career high 23 points and No. 8 Michigan State used a late run to pull away for an 83-76 win over Detroit Mercy on Friday night at the Breslin Center.
Junior forward Gabe Brown (Ypsilanti, Mich./Belleville) finished with 16 points, including key baskets down the stretch, while junior forward Aaron Henry (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals and redshirt junior forward Joey Hauser (Stevens Point, Wis./Stevens Point) added 10 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Records
Michigan State won its fourth-straight game and improved to 4-0 while Detroit Mercy falls to 0-1.
Summary
Michigan State closes out a two-game homestand on Sunday, Dec. 6, hosting Western Michigan. The game will air live on BTN with a 6 p.m. tipoff.
Junior forward Gabe Brown (Ypsilanti, Mich./Belleville) finished with 16 points, including key baskets down the stretch, while junior forward Aaron Henry (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals and redshirt junior forward Joey Hauser (Stevens Point, Wis./Stevens Point) added 10 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Records
Michigan State won its fourth-straight game and improved to 4-0 while Detroit Mercy falls to 0-1.
Summary
- After trailing through much of the second half, Watts hit a jumper with 7:06 to play to the game at 62-all. A three-point play from sophomore forward Julius Marble (Dallas, Texas/Dallas Jesuit) gave MSU a 69-64 lead, but a layup from Detroit Mercy's Matt Johnson cut the Spartans lead to 71-70 with 3:38 left.
- From that point, the Spartans out-scored the Titans, 12-6, over the final three-plus minutes, with Brown hitting a pair of 3-pointers and Henry scoring four points.
- Tied at the half at 35-all, Detroit Mercy took its biggest lead of the game, 59-54, on a layup with 10:37 on the clock form Dwayne Rose Jr.
- Detroit Mercy took a 38-35 lead to open the second half on a conventional three-point play from Marquell Fraser, but Michigan State responded with an 11-3 run and took a 46-41 lead on a basket from Watts with 16:33 left.
- MSU took its biggest lead of the game, 54-38, on a free throw from Hauser with 12:17 left.
- The teams went into the half tied at 35-all after Detroit's Willy Isiani scored on a put-back layup with 18 seconds left.
- The opening 20 minutes was back-and-forth with six ties and six lead changes.
- MSU took its biggest lead of the half, 22-14, when Brown hit a 3-pointer with 11:16 to play.
- The Titans, however, would use a 12-2 run and took a 26-24 lead on a jumper from Antoine Davis with 6:37 remaining.
- Michigan State used a 12-6 run over the final 3:38 of the game to pull away for the seven-point win.
- After shooting only 32.3 percent (10-of-31) in the first half, the Spartans connected on 65.5 percent of their second half shots (19-of-29).
- The Spartans scored 23 points on the fast break.
- MSU out-scored Detroit Mercy 20-2 off the bench, with Julius Marble adding nine points.
- MSU connected on 82.6 percent of its free throws (19-of-23), including all seven attempts in the second half.
- The Spartans committed 17 turnovers.
- Michigan State leads the head-to-head series with Detroit, 46-16.
- The Spartans are 27-6 all-time at home against the Titans.
- Tom Izzo is now 2-3 all-time against Detroit Mercy.
- The Spartans scored at least 80 points for the third time this season.
- MSU connected on 65.5 percent of its second half field goals (19-of-29), a season-high for a half this year.
- Michigan State connected on a season-high 82.6 percent of its free throws (19-of-23).
- The team's 19 made free throws were a season-high.
- Rocket Watts scored a career-high 23 points, his third game in double figures this year and the 14th of his career.
- He has scored at least 20 points twice this year and four times in his career.
- Aaron Henry recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds; he added six assists and three steals.
- Henry has scored in double figures three times this season and 23 times in his career.
- Joey Hauser finished with 10 points and five rebounds; it was his fourth game in double figures this season and the 21st of his career.
- Gabe Brown reached double figures (16 points) for the second time this season and the 11th time in his career.
Michigan State closes out a two-game homestand on Sunday, Dec. 6, hosting Western Michigan. The game will air live on BTN with a 6 p.m. tipoff.
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Team Stats
UDM
MSU
FG%
.411
.483
3FG%
.217
.333
FT%
1.000
.826
RB
36
40
TO
12
17
STL
9
5
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballF
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