Rehash & Analysis: Joey Hauser scores 22 as Michigan State strangles Ohio State, 62-41

Joey Hauser erupted for 22 points as Michigan State posted a strangling 62-41 victory at floundering Ohio State, Sunday in Columbus, Ohio.

Hauser was an efficient 8-of-13 from the field, including a blistering 6-of-9 from 3-point range for the Spartans. His six triples tied a career high, and paired well with eight rebounds.

“I was happy for us because we needed to win a game on the road and we needed to win a game decisively and we needed to win a game by not giving in at the end and I thought we did a decent job of that,” said Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo.

It was Michigan State’s first win at Ohio State since 2019, having gone 0-2 in its last two trips.

WHAT IT MEANS

Michigan State took another step toward NCAA Tournament safety. Michigan State improved to 16-9 overall and 8-6 in the Big Ten.

Michigan State is a half game out of second place in the Big Ten. The Spartans are gunning for a top four finish in the Big Ten and a bye in the Big Ten Tournament. 

The Spartans will play host to lowly Minnesota on Wednesday and then will travel to Michigan for a pivotal game against the Wolverines on Saturday night. 

MSU’s next game (against the Gophers) and its last two games (at Nebraska and vs Ohio State) are likely to be wins. Whether Michigan State can finish in the top four of the Big Ten will likely be determined by three games in between – at Michigan, vs Indiana and at Iowa. 

Ohio State has lost 11 of its last 12 and fell to 11-14 overall (3-11 in the Big Ten).

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Tyson Walker scored 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting. 

Walker hit a pure catch-and-shoot 16-footer off a downscreen to give Michigan State a 45-35 lead with 8:40 to play. Michigan State led by double digits the rest of the way.

Jaden Akins led Michigan State with 9 rebounds to go with eight points. 

Sean McNeil led Ohio State with 10 points.

The Buckeyes were a horrid 28.3 percent shooting.

Aside from Hauser, Malik Hall was the only other Spartan to make a 3-pointer. Michigan State was 7-of-22 from long range in an offensive performance which stammered in the first half but gained momentum as the game progressed.

Michigan State attempted only one free throw for the game, with Carson Cooper finishing an and-one in the second half. 

The Buckeyes were 1-of-2 from the foul line in a scrappy but strangely non-physical game filled with jump shot attempts. 

Hauser has now gone for 20-plus points in consecutive games. He is 9-of-14 from 3-point range in his last two games.

TURNING POINT 

Ohio State cut a 16-point lead to 38-33 on a Brice Sensabaugh floater with 11:24 to play. 

But Michigan State answered with an 11-2 run, keyed by a Hauser 3-pointer, a pair of Walker jumpers and a driving Akins reverse lay-up, and an Akins put-back.

Hauser began the run with a 3-pointer from the left wing in transition which gave Michigan State a 41-33 lead with 10:41 to play.

Hauser was a stabilizing force and an explosive one in the first half, and on this occasion with Ohio State threatening a seismic comeback, it was Hauser who restored order with a big triple. 

Not only did Hauser’s sharp-shooting reset things for Michigan State, the fact that the particular 3-pointer came via the fastbreak was also a welcomed sight for Tom Izzo and the Spartans. MSU’s transition game was dormant for large stretches of the season, but with Izzo getting a full complement of players back, and a return to a sane scheduling load, the Spartans are hoping to re-establish transition offense to the tool box. MSU’s transition game showed brief sparks against Maryland on Tuesday night, and again in this one. Michigan State needs to build on it, moving into mid-February.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED: HALL GLUE?

The Spartans posted their biggest lead of the game to that point at 54-37 when Hall turned down an open 3-pointer along the right wing in the press breaker in order to drive, draw and dish to Carson Cooper for a lay-up, and one.

Hall could have gunned a 3-pointer, looking for his own points. But instead he created for a teammate.

Hall might not develop into being an every-night, all-around superstar this season. But unselfish plays like this, along with quality defense and rebounding, give hints that Hall is blossoming into a glue role for the Spartans. 

Hall finished with 3 points on 1-of-5 shooting, plus six rebounds and three assists.

FIRST HALF

Ohio State struggled though a seven-minute, 0-for-15 cold spell as the Spartans built a 27-11 lead late in the first half. A 3-pointer by Roddy Gayle cut the lead to 27-14 at the break.

Ohio State had more turnovers (eight) than field goals (five) in the first half.

Michigan State went on an 18-5 run in the latter stages of the first half, beginning with a Hauser 3-pointer from Walker. Walker split the defense off a ball screen and hit Hauser popping out as the replace man.

Hauser had three 3-pointers in the first half, two of which were second-chance shots. 

Mady Sissoko gave Michigan State its biggest lead of the second half with a dunk, iniated by a Walker drive-and-dish after a time out. Sissoko momentarily bobbled the pass before collecting it and going up for the flush.

Sissoko had a decent half with his positional defense but he continues to be a questionable receiving target in terms of his hands. 

Sissoko finished the game with 3 points and six rebounds.

A.J. Hoggard played only nine minutes in the first half after collecting a second personal foul. With Hoggard sitting, Pierre Brooks filled in with 10 minutes in the first half. Brooks was functional on defense, for the most part, and had two rebounds but missed an open 3-pointer and a 19-footer off a flare screen. 

“I thought Pierre Books played pretty good,” Izzo said. “He was 0-for-3 and only had two rebounds but I thought he played pretty good defense, which has been a nemesis for him. I thought he took a step today. He played some critical minutes in the first half and he is getting a little more confidence from our staff now. He just has to keep working and see what we can do.”

Hall was 0-for-4 in the first half but provided energy and glue with five rebounds and two assists. He found a groove by working to create shots for others rather than trying to force his own offense, although he couldn’t resist missing a fall-away baseline jumper at one point.