West Lafayette, Ind. - For the first time all season, the Spartan men’s basketball team came from behind at halftime to steal a win. MSU downed Purdue 62-59 on Saturday at Mackey Arena.
Trailing by three at halftime, MSU (15-10 overall, 6-6 Big Ten) rallied in the second half behind 60.9 percent field-goal shooting and a superb offensive half from sophomore guard Marcus Taylor.
Spartan head coach Tom Izzo said Taylor rebounded from a slow start to terrorize the Boilermakers (12-15, 4-9) with one of his best games.
“I think the last 30 minutes of the game were Marcus’ best, because he was not only under control but he started using those ball-screens,” Izzo said.
While leading the uphill climb, Taylor punished the Boilermakers for 14 second-half points and finished with a game high 20.
Taylor said he found a balance between aggressiveness and patience, and it led to his monster second half.
“I was aggressive the 30 minutes,” he said. “I came out a little passive the first 10 minutes, but when I started attacking the defense, I think it opened some stuff up for me.”
The performance almost didn’t make the difference though, as the Boilermakers erased a five-point Spartan lead in the final two minutes. The second of two three-pointers from guard Willie Deane put Purdue on top 59-58 with 1:01 to play.
But on the ensuing MSU possession, freshman guard Chris Hill split a Boilermaker double-team and found junior forward Al Anagonye open for a layup, giving the Spartans a 60-59 lead.
With the game in the balance, Deane took one last, long-range jumper for the win, but freshman guard and forward Alan Anderson snagged the rebound and hit two free throws to seal the road win.
Izzo said his team stayed composed down the stretch - something that has escaped the Spartans in the past.
“I saw no panic in our guys,” he said. “What I liked is when our guys came over and we were down one, we said, ‘Hey, we’re going to win this one. We’re sick of losing them down the stretch.’”
The mere presence on the floor of one person down the stretch opened things up for Taylor, junior forward Adam Ballinger and the rest of the Spartans.
Anagonye manned the paint for 32 minutes and picked up just one personal foul - an area that has plagued the Spartan big man.
“I have to be cognizant about (foul trouble), and that’s the biggest thing with me,” Anagonye said. “I can’t help us win if I can’t play.”
Anagonye ended the night with six points and seven rebounds, but Izzo said his contribution extended past the stat sheet.
“When Al doesn’t have four fouls, we’ve won a lot more than we lost,” Izzo said. “Any time you have Al in the game, it opens it up for Marcus and a little for Ballinger.
“They were sagging so much on Al that we felt we could open some things.”
The Spartans are 4-1 in Big Ten games when Anagonye is charged with less than four fouls.
Up next for MSU is a chance for revenge against Minnesota (14-9, 7-5) 7 p.m. Thursday at Breslin Center. The Spartans were without Taylor, who sat out with back spasms, when they lost 70-67 in Minneapolis on Jan. 5.
