Michigan State basketball’s A.J. Hoggard nets career-high 23 in big road win at Penn State: Rehash & Analysis

Michigan State point guard A.J. Hoggard returned to the starting lineup and returned to his home state with a career performance in leading the Spartans to a 67-58 victory at Penn State, Wednesday.

Hoggard, playing in front of 20 family members and friends, scored a career-high 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting with six rebounds. He also had two assists and six rebounds against two turnovers.

Joey Hauser added 12 points and 15 rebounds.

The victory is a huge one for Michigan State, which breaks a two-game losing streak as the Spartans improve to 6-4 on the year and 1-1 in the Big Ten.

The Spartans were in danger of dropping to .500, 10 games into a season, for the first time in 18 years.

Instead, this victory gives Michigan State a major injection of life as an exhausting schedule will let-up drastically for the holidays. 

“It’s a big win,” said Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo.

Michigan State had fallen from a No. 12 national ranking to out of the Top 25 while hobbling through a stretch of 10 games in 30 days, and six games in 14 days. This was Penn State’s first game in eight days, but Michigan State battled through it. 

“We challenged our character,” Izzo said. “We knew what they had gone through but we said in life you are going to go through these kind of things and A.J. and Joey (Hauser) really stepped up. We got stuff from out bench, too. It’s good to have Jaden (Akins) back.

“The character of our guys, though. They deserve some credit. It’s been an hellacious nine games.”

HOGGARD’S REDEMPTION

Hoggard was removed from the starting lineup prior to Sunday night’s loss to Northwestern, due to Hoggard’s messy play in a loss at Notre Dame last week. Izzo said he wanted to emphasize to Hoggard the important elements that the head coach wants from him at the point guard position.

Izzo was satisfied with how Hoggard played when coming off the bench against Northwestern, despite the loss, and turned the keys back over to the junior on this night. Hoggard didn’t disappoint.

“I’m so proud of my team,” Izzo said. “Proud of A.J. I’m happy for him. We needed this win. We got this win. Showed a little character.”

“I just think I had a lot of growing up to do, had to be better for my team,” Hoggard said. “Coach put a fire up under me and he told me what I needed to do and told me the reasons why and I just kind of responded, being a leader on the team and a veteran on the team. We had to come here and find a way to win on the road.”

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

In addition to Hoggard’s 23 points, Tyson Walker scored 14 points on 6-of-15 shooting. He was 2-of-4 from 3-point range.

Hauser scored 21 points on 5-of-10 shooting. 

Michigan State played good positional defense most of the night. Michigan State walled people off near the rim and held Penn State to one 3-pointer in the second half.

“They got some open ones but we chased them, too,” Izzo said. “We never let them get in a rhythm.”

Michigan State out-rebounded Penn State 40-34.

Michigan State had a 43.3 to 34.5 edge in field goal percentage.

Penn State, which leads the nation in 3-point field goals made per game, was 8-of-27 from long range.

Michigan State was a productive 42.9 percent from 3-point land at 6-of-14.

Senior guard Seth Lundy led Penn State with 16 points

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

* With 1:05 left, Pierre Brooks, who has been challenged to become a better defender, withstood a driving, spinning shot attempt by Camren Wynter at the rim. Brooks secured the rebound, and Hoggard hit a pair of foul shots at the other end to give Michigan State a 64-56 lead.

Michigan State finished it off at the foul line while the Spartan defense held strong.

* Michigan State went with a small lineup in the final five minutes to try to match Penn State’s strong, experienced, physical guards. 

Michigan State went down low to Hauser, who was playing the center position, for a big field goal in the post, off of deft footwork and a high-glasser, to give Michigan State a 60-56 lead with 2:30 to play. 

Michigan State took a 58-54 lead on a catch-and-shoot Walker 17 footer from the elbow with 3:49 left. 

TURNING POINT

Michigan State took its biggest lead of the game to that point when Walker nailed a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer off a Hoggard drive-and-kick to give Michigan State a 56-52 lead with 6:50 to play, causing Izzo to let out an emphatic, two-fisted “Yeah!” as Walker ran back on defense. 

WHAT’S NEXT

“We are going to get some practice time now,” Izzo said.

The Spartans will play only four games in the next 30 days. The Spartans will play host to Brown on Saturday at Breslin Center and then be off the following week.

 “We are going to get finals (exams) in there,” Izzo said. “We still go to school at Michigan State.” 

“As a team, we will get more time in the gym to hone our skills offensively and defensively,” Hoggard said. “Instead of one-day preps, we get a nice little break here to be together and build chemistry and get ready for the second half of the season.”

HOW IT WENT DOWN

There were eight lead changes in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Hoggard hit a 3-pointer from the left wing, off a Walker drive-and-kick, to give the Spartans a 43-42 lead.

Then, Walker nailed a 10-footer along the baseline off an in-bound play and a nice screen from Mady Sissoko to give Michigan State a 45-44 lead with 13:30 to play. 

Michigan State took a 49-48 lead on a Hauser catch-and-shoot off a curl from 17 feet from Tre Holloman in the pinch post. 

Neither team led by more than 4 points through the first 34 minutes. 

Sissoko played good ball-screen defense in the second half, flashing to the middle and closing gaps while also providing good rim protection without jumping out of his shoes to try to block shots. 

THE FIRST HALF

Hoggard hit a pair of old-fashioned 3-point plays in the final two minutes to help Michigan State battle back from an early 10-point deficit to secure a 35-35 tie at halftime.

Pierre Brooks did not start in this game, as Michigan State went with a backcourt of Walker, Jaden Akins and Hoggard. Brooks was productive off the bench in the first half. He nailed a pair of important field goals to prevent Michigan State from falling behind further when the Spartans were struggling to find offense. He backed down his man for a fall-away 10-footer (cutting the lead to 16-8), and hit a 3-pointer from the right wing in transition to cut it to 21-15.

With Michigan State on the ropes early, the Spartans found some offensive relief from freshman center Jaxon Kohler. He hit a face-up 16-footer off an inside pivot, and a righty hook to cut it to 16-10. 

Then Kohler delivered a beautiful righty hook off a drop step move and counter, which cut what had been a 21-12 deficit to 21-17 with 7:40 left in the half. 

Later, Kohler delivered an inside-out assist to Akins for a 3-pointer which cut the lead to 25-24. 

Akins then hit another 3-pointer off an inside-out pass, this time from Hauser, which cut the lead to 28-27.

Sissoko picked up his second foul, on the offensive glass, with 9:03 remaining. That foul, and his first foul on an illegal screen, were questionable. He sat the rest of the half as Kohler, who averages just 12 minutes per game, played 11.

Sissoko avoided foul trouble in the second half.

The Nittany Lions missed their first five 3-pointers in this game, but then connected on their next three. And then when Myles Dread was fouled by Hauser while attempting a three, he nailed all three foul shots to give Penn State a 16-6 lead. That capped an early 14-2 run.