Rutgers men’s basketball falls to Michigan State due to second half collapse

Rutgers men’s basketball had a disappointing loss at Michigan State.

Rutgers men’s basketball lost on Sunday, a 73-55 decision at Michigan State. Rutgers was able to keep the game close in the first half before the Spartans took over in the final 20 minutes.

The loss drops Rutgers to 9-7 (1-4 Big Ten).

Michigan State was led by Malik Hall and Tyson Walker in their second straight win. Hall scored more than 10 points for the second straight game, adding 15 to his resume. Walker continued to be a scoring machine with 13 points. He has scored at least 10 points every game this season.

In this matchup, Rutgers only turned the ball over 10 times, but Michigan State built their lead on three-pointers. The Spartans shot 48 percent from beyond the arc.

 

While Rutgers was unable to build on their win over Indiana, there were still a few bright spots. Aundre Hyatt led the way with 14 points and Mawot Mag added 12 of his own. In his last three games, Mag has scored 49 points.

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However, that was not enough to stop Michigan State. In the second half, they outscored Rutgers 45-33. That included a 19-0 run in a four-and-a-half-minute span that put the game out of reach. As a result, Rutgers is now 1-4 in conference play.

With their 16th game of the season in the books, Rutgers will shift its focus to its next game against Nebraska on Wednesday. The Cornhuskers are 3-3 in conference play this season.