In a warm-up match before Tuesday's tilt with No. 1 Illinois, the No. 15 MSU men's basketball team cruised to a 92-75 win over Oakland on Saturday night at Breslin Center.
It was the calm before the storm.
"On a one-day prep, we tried to pick a couple things we wanted to accomplish," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. "We wanted to accomplish pushing the ball better, which we did. Attacking the baseline and attacking from the wings, which I think we did a pretty good job of. We wanted to shoot a little better, which, we shot 50 percent, but I don't think we shot it that well."
The Spartans were able to score 92 points despite the loss of junior center Paul Davis, who sat out the game nursing an injured ankle. It snapped his streak of 81 consecutive games played.
Junior guard Maurice Ager set the tone for the game early, throwing down a monster jam for the game's first bucket. He finished with a game-high 22 points.
Senior guard Chris Hill, who has not scored in double digits since Dec. 21 against UCLA, came out shooting early and often, and banked 13 points, but only shot 4-for-13. The 13 shots was a season high.
"It was our goal (to get Hill more shots)," Izzo said. "But if you get more, you have to make more. It's no secret that Chris is struggling with his shot."
Without Davis in the lineup, MSU took a season-high 31 3-point field goals.
"None of our passes came from inside-out," Izzo said. "That was, of course, without Paul Davis in there."
Ager said he noticed the lack of Davis' presence and passing ability.
"Paul is so unselfish," Ager said. "Once we get it inside to him, he'll kick it back out."
The amount of 3-pointers was not lost on senior swingman Alan Anderson.
"We've got some good 3-point shooters, but then again, when they're not going down you have to start working your way in and then start working your way out," Anderson said.
The dagger, though, according to Oakland head coach Greg Kampe, was a 3-pointer by senior guard Kelvin Torbert to end the first half, which gave MSU a 45-36 edge going into the locker room.
"That three that Torbert made at the end of the half was huge," Kampe said. "Not that we could win, but if we could've, it ended right there, probably."
MSU then went on a 12-2 run to open the second half.
The Spartans had five players score in double figures - Ager (22), Hill (13), sophomore guard Shannon Brown (13), Torbert (13) and Anderson (10).
Ten players scored for MSU, the type of balanced scoring that will be critical against the Fighting Illini.
"It's not going to be just one person dominating," Anderson said. "They're the same way. They have a lot of people that score and a lot of people that are active."
Lansing native Cortney Scott had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Golden Grizzlies. Guard Rawle Marshall had 16 points.
"I'm really pleased for Cortney," Kampe said. "Cortney Scott's a warrior for us. I wouldn't have said that about him before this year, but he's really grown up and matured as a young man.
