Memphis, Tenn. - If defense wins championships then MSU is primed and ready to make another run at the national title.
In their 69-35 win the Spartans hugged Alabama State tighter than the Hornets’ shorts in the second half, allowing just 10 points over the last 20 minutes.
The Spartans set new school and NCAA Tournament records by holding ASU to 10 second half points is a new MSU record for NCAA Tournament play and ASU’s total of 35 points is the second fewest points allowed in the first or second round in NCAA Tournament history. The next closest was Wisconsin which only scored 32 against Southwest Missouri State in 1999.
“In the second half their size, experience and depth gave us some problems,” ASU head coach Rob Spivery said. “We just as soon forget about the second half.”
The Spartans held ASU scoreless for 13:25 seconds in the second half. The Hornets made a desperation three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining against MSU’s reserves to salvage what little pride they could.
The defensive lock-down allowed MSU to close the game on a 27-3 run.
“It’s great that we went out there and had a lot of fire in the second half,” sophomore guard Jason Richardson said. “We just went out there and made a commitment to each other that we’d give 100 percent.”
Richardson finished the game with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting. He also tallied seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.
MSU’s relentless hounding on the defensive end forced the Hornets to commit 16 turnovers, with just six assists. ASU shot just 13.3 percent from the field in the second half, 4-of-30.
MSU head coach Tom Izzo said the defense translated into offense.
He added that the stingy defense which created nine steals allowed the Spartans to find their transition game, which the Hornets had taken away in the first half.
ASU’s zone defense gave the Spartans trouble in the first half. Players weren’t moving off the ball and MSU struggled to create easy looks inside.
“I thought we handled the zone pretty well,” Izzo said. “It’s just something we’re going to have to get use to. We might get zoned again.”
MSU’s sloppy early play allowed the Hornets to hang around the entire first half. Thanks in part to ASU forward Tyrone Levett’s four-point play with 6.4 seconds in the first half that sent the Spartans to their locker room at halftime up just four points.
“As a team we made a lot of mistakes,” senior forward Andre Hutson said of the first half. “We got a little anxious out there.”
Hutson finished the game as MSU’s leading scorer with 15 points - hitting every shot he took from the field - and 11 rebounds.
Despite the slew of early upsets in this year’s NCAA Tournament, Izzo said he never got nervous.
“I was a little concerned, but I had faith in this team,” he said. “We’ve won a lot of games by clamping down on people, and that’s what we did in the second half.
“At halftime we just said, ‘Hey, we’re going to check them. This is how we’ve won championships.’”
