MSU returned to its home floor at Breslin Center after a thrilling victory over Kansas, and they showed no hangover from it, handling the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions 92-46. UAPB is a team who for the second straight season is opening up with 18 straight road games, and the Izzone crowd in East Lansing makes Breslin one of the toughest places for any opponent to play. The Spartans are now 3-0 on the season.
The Spartans were strong from the opening possession, which was a 3-pointer from Bryn Forbes just six seconds into the game. MSU was led by Denzel Valentine, who nearly recorded his second straight triple-double. He finished with seven points, seven rebounds and 11 assists.
Javon Bess played a solid four position for MSU with Gavin Schilling still out with injuries. He ended up leading the Spartans in scoring with 16 points while grabbing three rebounds. Marvin Clark Jr. saw action for the first time this season due to a foot injury, only playing five minutes but still recording two points and two rebounds, both on the offensive end.
It was clear the Izzone got to the Golden Lions. UAPB went on two separate scoring droughts in the first half, each of them tallying over five minutes in length. After shooting only 29 percent in the first half, including 1-10 from behind the arc, the fate of UAPB was all but sealed after halftime. They finished shooting only 36 percent from the field.
Of course, it didn’t help that MSU shot 65 percent after the first 20 minutes, including six threes after one half of basketball. The high field goal percentage was a result of strong finishing in the paint, scoring 46 points from that area. Every Spartan recorded a point, with the exception of Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn.
MSU head coach Tom Izzo mentioned how MSU had not faced any zone yet this season, but the Spartans looked comfortable against the Golden Lions 2-3 defensive scheme. As a team, they finished the game shooting 9-26 from the perimeter, but 59 percent as a team from the field
Izzo has always emphasized rebounding, and after having a plus 18.5 rebounding margin in the first two games, the strong effort on the glass continued. MSU held the edge 45-14 in total rebounds, and grabbed 18 offensive rebounds to Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s three. Matt Costello finished with a double-double, scoring 10 points and hauling in 10 rebounds.
The bench was critical for MSU, as they outscored the Golden Lions’ bench 45-9 . Eron Harris played his best game of the season, finishing the night with nine points and five rebounds. Freshman Matt McQuaid ended up with eight points, while fellow freshman Kyle Ahrens scored the first five points of his career in just five minutes.
Forbes was the other Spartan in double-digits, as he finished with 14 points, shooting 4-10 from the field, and all 10 field goal attempts were from behind the three point line. Ghiavonni Robinson led Arkansas-Pine Bluff with 24 points, shooting 9-16 from the field.
The Spartans next game is Monday night in East Lansing against the Eastern Michigan Eagles. It’s their last home game until December, as they head out west to California for the 2015 Wooden Legacy tournament.
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