Michigan State basketball utilizes stiff defense and strong performances from a pair of sharp shooters to pick up a season-opening victory, 73-55, over Northern Arizona on Monday.
The Spartans held Northern Arizona to 31.7 percent from the field, and got big games from Joey Hauser (18 points) and Pierre Brooks (14 points) to earn the relatively-easy victory over the Lumberjacks. A.J. Hoggard was also very impressive for the Spartans in this opener, finishing with nine points and eight assists.
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Michigan State improves to 1-0 on the season with the victory.
Michigan State used a stout defensive performance in the opening half to build a comfortable double-digit lead at the break. The Spartans held Northern Arizona to only 25.8 percent from the field and 13.3 percent from behind the arc to carry a 34-20 point lead into the second half.
The Lumberjacks would battle the Spartans tough through the first eight minutes of the second half, but never cut the deficit to single digits. The Spartans would then go on a 12-to-2 run to build a 21-point lead and relatively cruise to the season-opening victory.
Michigan State shot 45.3 percent (29-of-65) from the field and 33.3 percent (9-of-27) from three-point range. The Spartans kept it to only nine turnovers in this season-opening victory as well.
Michigan State basketball will return to the court later this week in a highly-anticipated Veteran’s Day matchup against Gonzaga. This non-conference battle of two of college basketball’s most prestigious programs will take place on the ship deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in the San Diego on Friday.
Friday’s matchup between Michigan State and Gonzaga will tip off at 6:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN.
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