Field Level Media
Jan 19, 2018
Miles Bridges had 22 points, Nick Ward supplied 18 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 9 Michigan State crushed Indiana 85-57 on Friday night.
Matt McQuaid tossed in 11 points, Jaren Jackson Jr. added 10 points, six rebounds, three assists and three blocks, and Cassius Winston chipped in 10 points and eight assists for Michigan State (17-3 overall, 5-2 Big Ten).
Robert Johnson topped Indiana with 21 points and seven rebounds. Josh Newkirk added 14 points but shot 5-for-17 from the field for the Hoosiers (11-8, 4-3), who saw their three-game win streak snapped.
Michigan State shot 54 percent from the field and held Indiana to 34 percent shooting. The Spartans overwhelmed the Hoosiers on the boards, holding a 45-27 advantage in that category. Michigan State had a 17-6 advantage in second-chance points. The Spartans also outscored the Hoosiers 38-18 in the paint.
Michigan State had lost two of its last three games, including an 82-72 home loss to rival Michigan, but came out strong and led the Hoosiers for over 37 minutes.
The Spartans have won six of the last seven meetings. The 28-point difference was the largest margin of victory against the Hoosiers since March 2008, when the Spartans won in East Lansing 103-74.
Bridges scored 13 first-half points as the Spartans raced to a 42-23 halftime lead. Michigan State outscored Indiana 12-0 in points off turnovers and 18-4 in the paint.
Michigan State took command with 18 unanswered points in the first half. McQuaid and Winston scored five points apiece during that outburst while Bridges and Jackson contributed threes. The Hoosiers missed five field goal attempts and two free throws and also committed two turnovers during that span.
A Bridges 3-pointer pushed the Spartans' lead to 20 at 37-17 with 6:14 remaining in the half. It was still a 19-point spread at the half even though Michigan State didn't have a field goal in the final 5:31.
The Spartans led by double digits throughout the second half.
The teams play again at Bloomington, Ind. on Feb. 3.
--Field Level Media