Men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo reacts to a call by officials during the game against Oakland on Dec. 14, 2013, at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich. The Spartans defeated the Grizzlies, 67-63. Danyelle Morrow/The State News
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — In its first game in ten days, the No. 5 men’s basketball team looked as rusty as they could, committing 11 turnovers in the first half to Oakland’s five.
Because of the sloppy ball care, MSU will need to fight back from a 31-30 halftime deficit to remain a perfect 12-0 against the Grizzlies. Senior forward Adreian Payne leads all scoring with 16 points, while junior forward Branden Dawson leads the unflattering turnover category with five.
The Spartans may have a tight grip on the game at half, but it wasn’t the story for much of the contest. Despite tying the game late in the half, the Spartans’ only lead was 6-3 after an early Payne 3-pointer.
MSU was down 20-12, but dominant post play by Payne and Dawson closed the gap to 21-18.
The first half wasn’t all doom and gloom for MSU as they dominated the rebounding game, 25-17, and held OU’s star guard Travis Bader to eight points on two-of-nine shooting.
In terms of shooting, both teams are neck-and-neck, with neither shooting above 40 percent from the field.
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