The Spartans jumped to a 17-2 lead just under seven minutes into the game, and they never looked back.

Santa Clara sat in a zone for much of the first half, and MSU's shooters punished them for doing so. The Spartans shot 6-of-16 from 3-point range in the first half, and ball movement and penetration into the lane came with ease for MSU.

In the second half, the Spartans continued to pick apart the zone. Despite early 3-point success, MSU focused on getting the ball into the paint.

On the heels of a solid 13 point performance by junior forward Matt Costello, sophomore forward Gavin Schilling showed his worth against Santa Clara.

Schilling looked comfortable on the block, scoring 14 points and picking up 11 rebounds. Schilling noted that he and Costello are improving as the season goes on.

“We’re developing really well,” Schilling said. “We’re both getting more confident each game. He had a good game last game, and I had a good game this game. As long we’re both playing pretty well, I think we’ll have a great season.”

Five different Spartans scored in double digits, including Trice, who led the way with 19 points off 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. It was Trice’s second game this year with five 3-pointers.

Clark finished with 15 points for the second straight game and four blocks. He shot the ball well, but Izzo would have liked to seen more from his freshman.

“He does some good things but he’s got some things he’s gotta work on too,” head coach Tom Izzo said. “Getting back on defense, he just kind of stays at one speed…Marv had great stats and a pretty good game but there’s other parts of the game he’s gonna have to do.”

Despite a 27-point win, MSU did have some sloppy turnovers, totaling 12 by the final horn. Free throws were also a concern, as MSU shot just 52.9% from the line.

MSU also gave up 38 points in the second half, a number that Izzo was not too pleased about. Izzo said he talked to Magic Johnson before the game, and Magic pointed out that MSU needs a killer instinct.

“The one great thing he said was ‘you guys gotta learn when you get a team down, you gotta take care of your business,” Izzo said.  “We sure as heck haven’t learned that yet.”        

Izzo talked about the game as a tale of two halves, and he was disappointed in his team’s performance over the last 20 minutes.

“It’s still hard to figure out where this team is because who we’re playing and who we’re playing ourselves,” Izzo said. “There are probably more positives than negatives. I just hate when we end a game the way we ended it.”