MSU is back on its home floor at Breslin Center after a thrilling victory over Kansas, and they lead the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions 46-19 at halftime. UAPB is a team who for the second straight season is opening up with 18 straight road games, and the Izzone crowd in East Lansing makes Breslin one of the toughest places for any opponent to play.

It was clear the Izzone got to the Golden Lions. After two early buckets from UAPB, MSU went on a 16-0 scoring run and gained a commanding lead early. Bryn Forbes hit two triples, as did freshman Matt McQuaid, to help spark the early scoring for MSU.

Izzo mentioned how MSU had not faced any zone yet this season, but the Spartans looked comfortable against the Golden Lions 2-3 defensive scheme. MSU opened the game by making five of its first eight three-pointers and finished the half connecting on 6 of 13 attempts from three-point land in the first half. MSU is shooting a blistering 65 percent from the field after one half.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff, meanwhile, finished the half shooting 1-10 from distance and only 29 percent from the field as a whole, with multiple air balls being hoisted from the Golden Lions, something that the crowd at Breslin Center used to its advantage.

Denzel Valentine finished the first half with four points, five rebounds, and seven assists, showing no signs of slowing down following his triple-double against the Jayhawks. Fellow senior Matt Costello had six points and six rebounds, as he crashed the offensive glass with ease. MSU’s leading scorer at the break is Forbes with 11 points.

Eron Harris has five points for MSU off the bench for MSU, and McQuaid has six of his own. MSU’s bench is outscoring UAPB 13-6. Javon Bess shot 4-5 from the field and ended the first half with 10 points.

The Spartans have held a plus 18.5 rebounding margin after two games, and hold the rebounding edge in the first half. They are dominating the paint, scoring 20 points in close compared to the Golden Lions’ six. The only category MSU does not lead in is turnovers: they have committed six to Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s five.