The MSU men’s basketball team ran its fast break like there was nobody else on the court — slashing through its lanes, leaping toward the basket and finishing around the hoop with ease.
And the Spartans’ 25-4 run in the first 7:09 mauled Lake Superior State early on, never allowing them to get back into the mix and make it a game as MSU stomped the Lakers 112-69 Monday evening at Breslin Center.
Head coach Tom Izzo said he was thrilled with his team’s play early, hoisting a lot of shots, dominating the boards, calming down the turnovers throughout the course of the game and having certain players play well consistently.
But basketball in East Lansing is never good enough for Izzo; he is always pushing harder and harder.
“I thought our communication was terrible,” Izzo said. “That’s why they had some wide open (3-pointers). We switch a lot, some of it could add to it because of the lineups, but communication is communication.”
MSU won both its exhibition games by a combined 104 points, defeating Northern Michigan on Wednesday. Junior forward Raymar Morgan led the way for the Green and White on Wednesday with 23 points and sophomore guard Durrell Summers nipped at his heels with 18 of his own.
The Spartans grabbed 30 more rebounds (63-33), doubled their opponent’s assist total (28-14) and turned the ball over just three times in the final 20 minutes of play.
Senior forward Marquise Gray snatched a double-double, posting 16 points and 11 rebounds — looking in prime form, a level Izzo knows his five-year athlete can and should be on. Izzo said there are no tomorrows for Gray and if he can find a way to go harder for longer periods of time, he’ll be a true asset and not a setback to the team.
“It’s my last 30 games, and it’s all or nothing,” Gray said. “I think the coaching staff and my teammates have done an excellent job of sticking with me. Now it’s just about me going out there and getting it done.”
All 16 Spartans entered the game — 13 of them tallying numbers in the scoring column.
The visiting Lakers coughed up the ball 16 times in the first half, leading to 21 points off turnovers for the Spartans.
Lake Superior State’s head coach Steve Hettinga said MSU plays a style of basketball that suffocates its opponents, not allowing them to ever play the brand they practice and work toward.
“I really felt as if we hung in there for some spurts but our bad spurts were really bad spurts,” Hettinga said. “They went on some massive runs. Obviously on the glass, they crushed us … and the second half, by that time obviously, it was a little bit out of hand.”
The Spartans kick off the regular season against Idaho at 6 p.m. Sunday at Breslin Center.
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