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EAST LANSING – Missed layups. Mishandled passes.
Another missed opportunity Michigan State Basketball.
Iowa entered the Breslin Center Tuesday night as the aggressor, jumping out to a 16-point lead early in the second half and withstanding the Spartans’ repeated attempts to rally to hand MSU a 78-71 loss.
MSU (17-10, 9-7 Big Ten) was 10 of 20 from 3-point range, but just 17 of 40 inside the arc, shooting plenty of rabbits around the basket — the Spartans missed eight layups, not included They finished short jumpers and struggled to defend the interior against the Hawkeyes (16-11, 8-8). Iowa finished with a 40-28 scoring advantage in the paint and turned eight Spartan turnovers into 14 points.
MSU’s shot chart showed 17 missed shots in the paint in total.
“They absolutely killed every one of our post guys,” MSU coach Tom Izzo said. “I have to come up with something better about it. That hasn’t happened to us. And it was just layup after layup… The number of missed layups and the number of layups they got was the difference in the game.
“And there was just an energy level that wasn’t there. We haven’t had many games where we just haven’t brought it. Tonight, we haven’t brought it.”
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Tyson Walker scored 16 points for MSU, but was just 6-of-16, hitting two of his seven two-point attempts with four 3-pointers. Malik Hall scored 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, 10 rebounds and five assists. AJ Hoggard scored all 15 of his points in the second half, going 6 of 12 and adding five assists.
The Spartans, who have lost five of their last six games to the Hawkeyes, will host Ohio State in their only meeting this season at 4 p.m. on Sunday (CBS).
Payton Sandfort scored 22 points with six rebounds for Iowa, while Ben Krikke dominated inside with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Patrick McCaffery added 14 points for the Hawkeyes, who shot 50.9% overall and made 24 of 42 shots inside the 3-point arc.
Iowa Powers Inside
Iowa’s plan was clear from the start: attack MSU’s interior defense. And it paid off early and often en route to a 12-point halftime lead.
Starting forward Mady Sissoko quickly fouled twice and sat out the remaining 17:42 of the first half. Carson Cooper replaced him, then was whistled for his second foul and sat on the bench for the final 6:16. The Spartans held a 27-24 lead at the time, with the teams trading runs and MSU hot from 3-point range.
However, with those two out, the Hawkeyes went on a 15-1 run when McCaffery converted a three-point play to start on Cooper’s second whistle. MSU had few answers for the 6-foot-9, 212-pound Iowa senior, who made all four of his shots and four of five free throws for 12 points at halftime.
The Hawkeyes held a 16-4 scoring lead in the paint after McCaffery’s steal and dunk capped a 10-0 run during that stretch. Iowa then made three of its four first-half 3-pointers in the final 5:14, two by Payton Sandfort and one by Pryce Sandfort. That put the Spartans in a 45-33 hole at the half.
“The defense,” Hoggard said of Iowa’s big run. “That team scored 15 points and we couldn’t put the ball in the basket. I think we took some shots that we normally make. They didn’t fall tonight. But I think we didn’t trust our defense like how we’ve been the last two games.
“I mean, in the last game (at Michigan), in the last seven minutes, we didn’t give up a basket. But we gave up 15 points in a short period of time, so I didn’t think we were just there defensively tonight.”
Meanwhile, MSU was 7 of 14 from 3-point range, including three from Walker for its nine points. He was 3 of 8 overall, missing all three of his shots inside the arc. Hoggard also missed a pair of layups and went 0 for 4 and scoreless at halftime. Jaden Akins was just 1 of 4 on 3-pointers and missed his only 2-point attempt.
The Spartans shot 37.9% overall in the first half, but were just 4 of 15 inside the 3-point arc. The Hawkeyes also turned five MSU turnovers into nine points before halftime.
Krikke had 11 points and nine rebounds in the half, while Payton Sandfort scored 10 as Iowa shot 57.1% overall and was 4 of 9 from outside.
A rally in the second half
MSU’s plan for the second half was clear from the start: attack Iowa on the inside to try to get back into the game.
Hoggard began to assert himself off the dribble, nailing the paint on four layups in the first 5:31 without a miss. Hall added a pair of buckets inside, as the Spartans moved back to within single digits on a Hall drive down the right side and an up-and-down layup.
Walker and Akins hit a pair of 3-pointers to continue cutting, and layups by Hall and Walker pulled MSU within 62-56 with 7:10 left. But the Spartans began to struggle again, missing inbound passes and missing shots in the paint, and Iowa stretched the lead to 70-59 on Payton Sandfort’s layup with 4:20 left.
The Spartans got back within five by taking advantage of their defense to make some key stops, with Walker finding Tre Holloman on a backcut for a score and Hoggard hitting Hall with a rebound pass for a dunk after forcing a time clock violation. Hawkeyes shot. MSU coach Tom Izzo called a timeout with 2:31 left.
But the problems that plagued them persisted, and the Spartans’ hope of maintaining their momentum disappeared when Cooper fumbled on Hall’s pass out of bounds with 1:40 left. Owen Freeman’s dunk less than 30 seconds later sealed MSU’s second Big Ten home loss and third overall in Breslin this season.
Contact Chris Solari:csolari@freepress.com. FOLLOW IT @chrissolari.
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