Michigan State tops Wisconsin for top-10 road win

MADISON, Wis. – After a humbling loss and a week of questions, Michigan State came out and delivered its best win of the season.

The No. 14 Spartans beat No. 8 Wisconsin, 86-74 on Friday night at the Kohl Center, after pulling ahead with a standout first half and holding on through a Badgers second-half charge.

After a soft opening schedule to conference play, the Spartans made a statement by beating a top-10 team on the road in its toughest game since Thanksgiving weekend. The win puts Michigan State (15-3, 6-1) alone in first place in the Big Ten standings in the earlygoing.

The Spartans’ best win of the season came after the team’s worst loss. The Spartans were upset at home on Saturday to Northwestern, raising questions about their rebounding, ball control and effort level.

After four days of practice, they returned to their dominant form on the boards and with a newfound smothering defense while shooing at their typical blistering pace against Wisconsin (15-3, 6-2)

Malik Hall led a balanced scoring effort 14 points on 7-for-11 shooting with eight rebounds. Max Christie (12 points), Tyson Walker (12), A.J. Hoggard (12) and freshman Jaden Akins (10) also finished in double figures.

They helped Michigan State shoot better than 52 percent for the field and an even 6-for-12 from 3-point range.

Defensively, Michigan State held Badgers star guard Johnny Davis to just 8-for-20 for the game. He had 25 points.

Michigan State went down 8-0 to start the game thanks to an early spurt of turnovers but recovered to put together one of its best halves of the season.

The Spartans shot nearly 60 percent from the field for the half en route to 42 points and a 42-26 halftime advantage. They hit seven straight shots over a stretch of more than five minutes late in the first half. Malik Hall scored 10 points in the final eight minutes of the frame, capping it off with a last-second baseline jumper and some words for the opposing crowd.

The Spartans also nearly doubled up Wisconsin on the boards for the half and forced Wisconsin. Badgers star Johnny Davis shot 3-for-13 in the half against a variety of Spartans defenders and double-teams.

Davison led his team’s comeback attempt early in the second half, making four straight shots to pull his team within 11 points with 14 minutes left. He finished with 22.

But the Spartans had answers: Akins answered two Davison 3-pointers with 3-pointers of his own in the second half.

And after Wisconsin pulled within six points at 10:03, thanks to a seven-point run capped off by a Davis layup on an out of bounds play, the Spartans made sure they didn’t get any closer.

Hall made back-to-back baskets after the ensuing Spartans timeout, igniting a seven-point Spartans run that put them back up by 13.

Wisconsin never got closer than nine points down again, as two Julius Marble buckets in the final five minutes and a late layup from Walker helped seal the game.

Michigan State’s top two centers, Marcus Bingham Jr. and Marble, both picked up their third fouls early in the second half, forcing Michigan State to turn to reserve Mady Sissoko for an extended stretch.

But the Spartans were still dominant on the boards, winning 39-20 in the category. And after turning the ball over six times in the first 10 minutes of the game, the Spartans had only seven more in the ensuing 30 minutes.

The Spartans now move on to another ranked road matchup when they face No. 17 Illinois on Tuesday.