Rutgers men's basketball loses big on road against Michigan State
The Rutgers men’s basketball team traveled to East Lansing, Michigan, and fell to Michigan State 73-55 on Sunday afternoon. The Scarlet Knights (9-7, 1-4) kept things close for a while but let the game slip away in the second half.
Like many games this season, Rutgers’ offense started off slow. The Knights went the first three minutes of the contest without a made shot until senior forward Aundre Hyatt knocked down a three-pointer. The Spartans (10-7, 2-4) led 6-3 at the first media timeout.
After the first media timeout, the offense started to pick up and Hyatt nailed another three to give Rutgers its first lead of the game with 13:48 to play in the first half. Michigan State answered with a three of its own, but the Knights punched back with a putback layup from redshirt senior forward Oskar Palmquist to give them a 1-point lead.
The Spartans began struggling from the field, but three-pointers from Tyson Walker, Jaden Akins and Tre Holloman kept the game tight. With approximately 5 minutes remaining in the opening half, Michigan State led 22-21.
Rutgers closed the half with some poor shooting from the field. A three-pointer from senior forward Mawot Mag at the 6:10 mark was the last made field goal for the Knights, as they scored just one free throw over the final 6 minutes. The Spartans took a 28-22 lead over Rutgers heading into halftime.
The first minute of the second half was not a good one for the Knights, as they gave up a three-pointer on the opening possession. Then, senior center Clifford Omoruyi picked up his third foul of the afternoon on the ensuing offensive possession.
But it was not foul trouble that took Omoruyi off the floor, rather it was a groin injury that sent him to the locker room. Omoruyi would return to the floor a few minutes later and his defense gave Rutgers some momentum and a 36-35 lead with approximately 14 minutes to play.
Michigan State would respond, though, with a 19-0 run to take a 54-36 lead and put the game out of reach. The scoring run brought the Spartan fans into the game as they got loud in the Breslin Center. There would be no comeback from the Knights, as it is almost impossible to overcome a 19-0 scoring run against a team of Michigan State’s caliber in its home arena.
Rutgers falls to 0-8 all-time at the Breslin Center. Head coach Steve Pikiell spoke on the difficulty of visiting the Breslin Center after the game.
“The tradition, the fan support here is outstanding. It’s loud, the environment,” Pikiell said. “And they have some good players too.”
While it was not a great performance from the Knights, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo commended Pikiell and his team.
“Steve Pikiell is, I said this since the day he came in the league, I think he’s one of the best coaches in the league,” Izzo said. “His teams are tough.”
While Rutgers looks to improve from where it is at right now, Izzo reminisced of his past teams and commented on the state of the Knights.
“They’re like my early teams,” Izzo said. “They are physically tough and they have big bodies... They did a good job, they just missed some shots.”
The missed shots have been the consistent story for Rutgers this season. The Knights will look to bounce back on Wednesday at home against Nebraska.
“(Izzo) is the best coach in America,” Pikiell said. “We’ve got to play better and more connected basketball, especially on the road in this league.”
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