Party like it’s like it’s 2013.
The No. 22 MSU men’s basketball team leads Wisconsin 43-26 at the half, and looks like the team that was ranked int the top five for much of November and December.
Men's basketball up on Wisconsin at halftime
Junior forward Branden Dawson, left, celebrates with senior guard Keith Appling as senior forward Adreian Payne waves his hands to hype up the crowd March 15, 2014, during a game against Wisconsin at the Big 10 tournament in Indianapolis. The Spartans won, 83-75. Erin Hampton/The State News
Adreian Payne led the Spartans with 12 points, but Denzel Valentine wasn’t far behind, adding 11 of his own while also grabbing four rebounds.
MSU picked up where they left off last night against Northwestern, and got out to a quick 7-0 lead. Adreian Payne scored the first five points for the Spartans.
After a highlight behind-the-back pass that led to a Matt Costello dunk Friday night, Valentine continued to drop dimes when he found a trailing Branden Dawson with a between the legs dish early on.
The Spartans played tough on the defensive end, allowing the Badgers to score just four field goals in the first ten minutes.
MSU went on a 10-0 run to push their lead to 16, but the Badgers scored seven straight to get back in the hunt.
Wisconsin shot 28 percent from the floor, but made 9-of-13 from the free throw line to stay in the game.
Payne missed a layup late in the half, got his own rebound and went back up. Then on the other end, he blocked Traevon Jackson’s shot and started a fast break that would lead to a transition three-pointer from Valentine.
Wisconsin’s line member of the first Big Ten first team, Frank Kaminsky, scored 12 points for the Badgers and was the only member of the team to score more than five points.
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