Four in Double Figures as Michigan State Beats Ohio State, 84-78, on Senior Day

East Lansing, Mich. – Junior guard A.J. Hoggard tied his career-high with 23 points and five players scored in double figures as Michigan State's men's basketball team opened up an early lead and held on for an 84-78 win over Ohio State on Saturday at the Breslin Center on Senior Day.

Graduate forward Joey Hauser added 16 points, six rebounds and two assists, while senior guard Tyson Walker scored 15 points, handed out six assists and had three rebounds, sophomore guard Jaden Akins added 13 points and three rebounds and senior forward Malik Hall chipped in 10 points and three boards.

Records
Michigan State closes out the regular season with a 19-11 overall record and an 11-8 mark in the Big Ten Conference, while Ohio State finishes at 13-18 overall and 5-15 in conference play.

Recap

Michigan State led by nine points (43-34) at the break and a layup from Hoggard pushed the lead to 45-34 on the opening play of the second half, but the Spartans could not break away.
The Buckeyes pulled to within five points, 45-40, on a 3-pointer from Brice Sensabaugh at the 18:4 mark.
The Spartans would extend their lead back to 12 points, 61-49, on a layup from Walker with 12:39 to play in the game, but Ohio State would pull to within three points, 67-64, on a 3-pointer from Brice Thornton with 5:40 left to play.
A layup from Walker, followed by a pair of free throws from Hoggard and then a layup from Hauser gave MSU a 73-65 lead with 2:45 left.
After the Buckeyes pulled to within 74-69 with 1:58 left, Hoggard hit two free throws and scored on a layup to give MSU a 78-71 lead with 1:03 left.
Hoggard hit 5-of-6 free throws and Akins hit two more in the final 40 seconds to seal the win for the Spartans.
In the first half, the Spartans jumped to an early lead, hitting seven of their first shots from the field, and pushing the margin to 13 points, 17-4, on a 3-pointer from freshman guard Tre Holloman with 13:41 left before the break.
Leading 25-21 after a 3-pointer from Hauser at the 8:23 mark, but Ohio State pulled to within 25-21 on a triple from Sean McNeil.
A 3-pointer from Akins at the 3:43 mark gave MSU a 33-23 lead and the Spartans went into the break with a 43-34 lead following a jumper from Walker with 53 seconds left.

Key Stats

Michigan State finished the game shooting 54.7 percent from the floor (29-of-53), including 60.0 percent from 3-point land (12-of-20).
The Spartans had five players score in double figures.
MSU hit 70.0 percent of its free throws (14-of-20), including 76.5 percent in the second half (13-of-17), with A.J. Hoggard hitting 9-of-11.
The rebounding battle was even at 29 apiece, with Ohio State holding a 17-14 advantage in the second half and finishing with 11 second-chance points.
The Spartans scored 23 points on the fast break

Notes

Michigan State leads the all-time series with Ohio State, 80-61, and has won six of the last nine meetings and 13 of the last 17 overall.
The Spartans are 49-17 at home against the Buckeyes, including a 22-5 mark at the Breslin Center.
MSU Head Coach Tom Izzo has a 35-18 record all-time against the Buckeyes.
This is the fourth-straight game (sixth overall) the Spartans have scored at least 80 points.
Michigan State is 5-1 when scoring at least 80 points.
The Spartans finished the season with a 12-2 record at home, including a 7-2 mark in the Big Ten.
MSU is 16-4 when leading at the half this season.
The Spartans connected on 54.7 percent of their filed goals (29-of-53), the sixth time this season shooting at least 50 percent from the floor (5-1).
MSU out-shot Ohio State (54.7% to 48.3%), the 19th time shooting better than its opponent (16-3).
This was the fifth time MSU has had five players score in double figures this year (4-1).
A.J. Hoggard tied his career-high with 23 points.
It was his fourth-straight game in double figures, the 19th of the season and the 31st of his career.
He handed out a game-high seven assists, the 15th time this season with at least seven.
Joey Hauser finished with 16 points, his eighth-straight game in double figures, the 25th time this season and the 48th of his career.
Tyson Walker scored 15 points, his eighth-straight game in double figures, the 25th time this season and the 71st of his career.
Jaden Akins scored 13 points, his third-straight game in double figures and his 10th game this season.
Malik Hall scored 10 points, his fourth game in the last five in double figures.
Hall has 10 games in double figures this year and 33 in his career.
Mady Sissoko grabbed a team-highs seven rebounds, the 12th time leading the team in rebounds this season.
Jason Whitens started for the first Spartans, marking his first career start at Michigan State.

Up Next
Michigan State plays in the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago next week.

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Team Stats

A.J. Hoggard

Joey Hauser

Tyson Walker

Jaden Akins

Players Mentioned

Jaden Akins

Malik Hall

Joey Hauser

A.J. Hoggard

Tre Holloman

Mady Sissoko

Tyson Walker

Jason Whitens