Hauser’s Double-Double Helps Lead Michigan State Past Northern Arizona, 73-55

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Graduate forward Joey Hauser had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds and sophomore guard Pierre Brooks added 14 points off the bench as Michigan State opened its 2022-23 season with a 73-55 win over Northern Arizona at the Breslin Center Monday night.

It was the seventh career-double for Hauser, who was 6-of-12 from the floor, including 4-of-8 from 3-point land. Brooks scored 14 points off the bench to lead the Spartan bench, who received 27 points from their reserves.

Junior guard A.J Hoggard added nine points and eight assists, while freshman forward Jaxon Kohler chipped in with six points and nine rebounds.

Records
Michigan State improves to 1-0, while Northern Arizona falls to 0-1.

Recap

Michigan State led by 14 points, 34-20 at the break and matched its biggest lead of the game, 16 points (47-31), on a layup from freshman forward Jaxon Kohler with 14:09 to play.
The Lumberjacks would hang in and pulled to within 11 points, 47-36, on a 3-pointer from Carson Towt at the 11:54 mark.
The Spartans responded with a 12-2 run to take a 59-38 lead on a 3-pointer from Brooks with 8:18 to play in the game.
Michigan State went into the break with a 34-20 lead, with Hauser leading the way with 10 points and eight different players scoring.
MSU took the early lead and then used a 13-2 run to take a 16-4 lead on a 3-pointer from Brooks at the 13:06 mark, forcing NAU to take a timeout.
Freshman center Carson Cooper hit one free throw at the 9:32 mark after he was fouled during an alley-oop attempt, giving the Spartans their biggest lead of the half, 21-5.
The Lumberjacks fought back and used an 11-3 run to pull within eight points, 24-16, on a conventional three-point play from Liam Lloyd at the 4:46 mark.
MSU pushed the lead back to double-digits and went into the break with a 14-point advantage, 34-20, on a pair of free throws from Hauser with 49 seconds left.

Key Stats

Michigan State out-scored Northern Arizona, 34-16, in the paint.
The Spartans out-rebounded the Lumberjacks, 46-37, and scored 18 second-chance points.
MSU handed out 17 assists on 29 made field goals.
The Spartans hit nine shots from 3-point land, with Hauser and Brooks combining to shoot 8-of-15 from long distance.

Notes

This was Michigan State's first win ever against Northern Arizona.
The Spartans are now 7-2 all-time against teams from the Big Sky Conference.
Michigan State is now 96-28 all-time in season openers and has won 39 of the last 46 games
Tom Izzo is now 21-7 all-time in season openers.
The Spartans have an all-time record of 149-42 in games played in the month of November, including a 95-3 record at home.
Tom Izzo is 73-0 all-time at home in November, 111-35 for the month overall.
Graduate forward Joey Hauser had his first double-double of the season and the seventh of his career with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Sophomore guard Pierre Brooks scored a career-high 14 points and set career bests in field goals (5), field goals attempted (9), 3-pointers (4) and 3-point attempts (7).

Up Next
Michigan State hits the road on Wednesday, playing five of its next six games away from home, starting with No. 2 Gonzaga on the deck of the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln in the Armed Forces Classic. The game will air live on ESPN at 6:30 p.m. (ET)