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V-Cast: Michigan State takes strong step with blowout win against Penn State

On3 imageby:Paul Konyndyk•01/04/24•

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East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State continued to build momentum on the basketball court as Tom Izzo and the Spartans rang in the New Year with a decisive 92-61 win over Penn State. This victory is the fifth straight for the Spartans serves as a table setter for an important road game at Northwestern this weekend.

After the Spartan victory, SpartanMag.com staffers Jim Comparoni and Paul Konyndyk checked in from the basketball court at Breslin Center for the latest V-Cast:

V-CAST TOPICS

Malik Hall scores 24 in new career high: Senior forward Malik Hall is heating up. After scoring 18 points last time out against Indiana State, Hall set a new career high with 24 points against Penn State. The Michigan State four man defended at a high level in this game and also rebounded well in the win. Hall didn’t score a lot on the perimeter, but he has become the best scoring option Michigan State has inside.

Defense is clicking for the Spartans: For the fifth straight game, the Spartans have shown signs of improvement on defense. Penn State isn’t the highest scoring team in the Big Ten, but the Nittany Lions aren’t easy to guard either. The Nittany Lions are the first drive to get the foul line team that Michigan State has faced this season, and Tom Izzo’s ballclub handed a difficult test well. Penn State shot just 32 percent overall and 10 percent from behind the 3-point line. Michigan State defense was as good as it was in this game because Spartan guards were locked in on their assignments. Spartan center Mady Sissoko was also very good as a ball-screen defender.

Tre Holloman: Holloman excelled in his role as a facilitator, finishing a with a team-high six assists against Penn State. Five of those assists game in the first half when Holloman played more minutes at point guard than he would in a typical game, as AJ Hoggard was on the bench in foul trouble. In addition to running the team at a high level, Holloman also showed improved versatility as a scorer. Among Holloman’s field goals in this game there was an impressive transition dunk, a mid-range pull-up, and a driving lay-up. Some of those shots did not fall for Holloman earlier in the year. Michigan State needs their point guard to be able to create shots at the end of the shot clock, and Holloman did exactly that against the Nittany Lions.

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