With his team stuck in a whirlwind of losses and inconsistency, Aloysius Anagonye decided it was time to assert himself as a leader.
The senior forward paced the Spartans, as MSU (10-7 overall, 2-3 Big Ten) massacred Penn State 70-36 Wednesday night.
After recording his first double-double this season on Saturday with a 12-point, 11-rebound performance against Minnesota, Anagonye dropped in 11 points while adding five rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals in 24 minutes of work. He finished 4-of-9 from the field, including a 3-for-3 performance from the foul line.
"Every leader knows there is a time to shut up and put up and today I had the opportunity to do so," Anagonye said. "Those are just the numbers I have to put up. Before, I was talking. Right now, I got to let my play talk more than my words."
His play did some talking as the Southfield native helped the Spartans pull away from Penn State (5-10, 0-4) for good. With the Spartans and Nittany Lions finding points at a premium out of the gates, Anagonye focused on defense and rebounding.
More than 13 minutes into the game, Anagonye decided the Spartans' 11-8 lead against the lowly Nittany Lions wasn't going to cut it.
After his own miss, Anagonye got on the scoreboard with a right-handed hook in traffic with 6:33 left in the first half. Two minutes later, he continued the Spartan scoring with a short jumper off the glass plus a free throw. And once again, the shot was created after an offensive rebound.
Anagonye wasn't finished. He led the Spartans up the floor after a Nittany Lion triple. The result - an Anagonye fast-break layup, which helped jump-start a 23-2 Spartan run.
"He's been talking about doing that all year and right now he really just backed it up and came strong with us," sophomore guard Kelvin Torbert said. "He came out hard and dominated. And in a win like this, it was great."
With the Spartans up 20-11, Breslin fans erupted when Anagonye threw down a two-handed slam with a smile on his face.
"It was definitely a great pass from Paul (Davis) and it gave us a huge spark," Anagonye said. "Anyone can dunk, but the reaction that came from the fans and our bench, that gave more enthusiasm to the dunk than the dunk itself."
Despite owning a 16-point lead to start the second half, Anagonye wanted to deepen the Nittany Lions' quickly growing hole.
He took MSU's first two shots of the half. Despite both clanking off the iron, his take-charge attitude rubbed off on his teammates.
In the game's last six minutes, Anagonye didn't see any playing time, but he wasn't upset.
Sitting next to undergraduate student assistant Mat Ishbia, Anagonye helped call plays and guide his younger teammates to the sweet victory.
"I couldn't really hear him at the end because I was so involved in the game," freshman guard Maurice Ager said. "But when I looked up, I saw him and when I could hear him, I listened."
MSU head coach Tom Izzo said Anagonye's production equaled the type of play he expects from his senior leader. He just wishes it would happen more frequently.
"I think Al is getting better and better (in the point area)," Izzo said. "He's starting to rebound better and better at times and if he continues to do that, I think it will help us."
