Friday, March 29, 2024

Valentine powers MSU basketball to 101-46 win over St. Cloud State in final exhibition match

November 7, 2014

Exhibition season ended for the Spartans in dominating fashion on Friday night.

Behind a strong performance from junior guard Denzel Valentine, the MSU basketball team cruised to an easy 101-46 victory over St. Cloud State on Friday night, finishing exhibition season with a 2-0 record.

The Spartans shot 57.7 percent overall in the game and led by as many as 56 points. Despite some sloppy play at times, it was a near-flawless victory. MSU finishes the exhibition portion of the schedule 2-0.

"We got a lot out of both exhibition games," head coach Tom Izzo said. "There's a lot of teams around the country who have struggled in theirs, so I thought we were pretty solid and steady. Of course you get sloppy when you have a big lead and you're trying to play a million different guys, all that ... I think there's some positives in that"

Valentine had a triple-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in 25 minutes of action. Senior guard Travis Trice led the Spartans with 20 points, and junior center Matt Costello and senior forward Branden Dawson each had double-doubles — 12 and 10 for Costello, and 13 and 10 for Dawson.

"You look at a triple-double in only 25 minutes and only two turnovers and pretty good defense, (and) I can't ask much more of the kid than that," Izzo said of Valentine after the game.

The Spartans got out to an early 11-3 lead powered by Costello, who scored six of the team's first 11 points — highlighted by an alley-oop dunk on an assist from Valentine.

Freshman forward Marvin Clark Jr. got involved early, scoring six points on two 3-pointers all in the first 10 minutes. His second 3-pointer of the night, coming on an assist from freshman guard Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn Jr., gave MSU a 21-12 lead with 12 minutes left in the first half.

Before a missed 3-pointer from junior guard Travis Trice, Trice, Costello, and Clark Jr. had 19 combined points on perfect 8-of-8 shooting.

Another alley-oop from Valentine to sophomore forward Gavin Schilling with 8:36 left in the half gave the Spartans a 31-13 lead over the Huskies.

"We have great chemistry off the court, and that kinda carries onto the court as well. So that's one reason why we connect so well," Schilling said.

The Spartans wasted no time pushing the pace in the second half, taking a 40-point lead following an impressive transition layup by Valentine with 17:34 on the clock.

MSU scored the first 14 points of the half before a couple free throws by St. Cloud State forward Eddie Alcantara. The lead stretched from 40 to 51 less than three minutes later following a layup by Gavin Schilling.

"We want Wetzel!" chants, referring to redshirt senior guard Keenan Wetzel, began roaring from the Izzone with roughly 13 minutes left in the game. A transition layup by Ellis gave MSU a 78-30 lead with 11:48 remaining.

With under eight minutes to go, Izzo obliged the Izzones' request, checking Wetzel into the game. Trice drained a three with 5:57 on the clock to push the lead to 56, 92-36.

Nairn layed the ball in with just seconds on the clock to push MSU's point total past the century mark. 

The Spartans have a week off before kicking  the regular season off against Navy in the Veterans Classic next Friday.

Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.

Discussion

Share and discuss “Valentine powers MSU basketball to 101-46 win over St. Cloud State in final exhibition match” on social media.