Freshman forward Erazem Lorbek scored 16 points and senior forward Adam Ballinger added 14 Sunday as the No. 21 MSU men's basketball team rolled to a 79-47 victory over visiting Cleveland State.
Slovenian import Lorbek shot a perfect 4-4 from the field and 7-7 at the free throw line in 19 minutes to lead all scorers. It was Lorbek's longest outing of the season.
The soft-spoken native of Ljubjana, Slovenia, said Sunday's game was the right showcase for his offensive talents, but he still knows his role on the team.
"I come from the bench and give all my best to my teammates," Lorbek said. "I showed the coach I could score."
Senior forward Adam Ballinger lauded Lorbek's effort, which included a three pointer that bounced off the rim several times before settling in the net and electrifying the Breslin Center crowd.
"He's so skilled offensively," Ballinger said. "Erazem and those guys are coming in off the bench and giving us a lot of energy."
Head coach Tom Izzo said giving Lorbek time off the bench displayed the 6-11 freshman's development.
"Erazem had some great numbers," Izzo said. "I think getting him a few extra minutes helped him and he's showing some progress."
Despite Lorbek's top offensive performance of the season and never trailing the Vikings, Izzo said that Sunday's game was evidence of his squad not "valuing the basketball."
"The turnovers is a joke," Izzo said. "If we don't correct that, this is going to be an average basketball team."
MSU turned the ball over 20 times Sunday, committing what Izzo called "unforced errors." Despite the gaudy turnover number, Izzo said Cleveland State's 24 turnovers were the result of solid Spartan defense.
"I'm very pleased with the defensive effort," he said. "We did a good job stopping dribble penetration by committee, but we're still not making individual stops."
Although the Spartans won handily, the turnover issue still haunts Izzo.
"I thought we did a lot of good things, but the turnovers leave a foul taste in my mouth," Izzo said.
In shades of Wednesday's 82-75 defeat of No. 22 Virginia, MSU went on a 20-1 run at one point in the first half, effectively sending the game out of reach.
Spectacular airborne acrobatic dunks by sophomore forward Alan Anderson also wowed the Breslin Center audience, highlighting an otherwise lopsided game. A second half alley-oop courtesy of Anderson to a streaking senior forward Aloysius Anagoyne along the baseline sent the crowd into near mayhem.
But the team knows work is needed before Saturday's road game against No. 18 Kentucky.
Sophomore guard Chris Hill shared Izzo's post-game philosophy, saying that the win revealed weak areas of the Spartans' game.
"Making better, sounder decisions, not taking as many chances on the break, these are things we have to work on," Hill said.
Hill scored nine points Sunday, going 3-7 from beyond the arc.
"We're definitely playing better," he said. "I wouldn't say we're clicking on all cylinders. When we have guys playing to their capabilities night in and night out, I think we can be a very good team."
