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Colby Wollenman gives MSU memorable performance in Big Ten title game

March 14, 2016
Senior forward Colby Wollenman blocks Purdue forward Celeb Swanigan during the first half of the game on March 13, 2016 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Spartans defeated the Boilermakers, 66-62.
Senior forward Colby Wollenman blocks Purdue forward Celeb Swanigan during the first half of the game on March 13, 2016 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Spartans defeated the Boilermakers, 66-62.

MSU senior forward Colby Wollenman was up against a wall.

Literally.

Actually, check that.

Maybe three walls.

Early in the first half of MSU’s 66-62 victory against the Purdue Boilermakers in the Big Ten Tournament championship game Sunday, several of MSU’s bigs found themselves in foul trouble — which is not exactly a place a team wants to be when they’re going up against Purdue’s three-headed monster of 7-footers A.J. Hammons and Isaac Haas and talented freshman big man Caleb Swanigan.

So with nowhere else to go, MSU head basketball coach Tom Izzo turned to seldom used 6-foot-7 forward Wollenman.

“They told us to be ready because … foul trouble is always an issue when you play a team that’s got size like that,” Wollenman said. “So I figured … I might have a chance. I didn’t know what kind of opportunity it would be. But I kind of tried to prepare like I would be in there.”

And boy, was Wollenman ready.

After MSU freshman forward Deyonta Davis picked his second foul of the game with 10:09 remaining in the first half, Wollenman, the former walk-on from Big Horn, Wyo., checked into the game and gave the most spirited performance of his career.

Despite being outsized by Purdue’s bigs, Wollenman was undaunted. Every shot by Haas, Hammons or Swanigan was challenged, every loose board or ball fought for.

After helping MSU to a double-digit lead during the first half, Wollenman checked out of the game to a standing ovation from Spartan fans.

“Honestly, he’s always ready to play,” MSU senior forward Matt Costello said. “He knows he may not get his chance sometimes if (Deyonta Davis) is playing well. But he came in today and really muscled A.J. (Hammons) and Isaac (Haas) when he was facing them in the post and that saved us a lot of times.”

The second half saw more of the same from Wollenman, punctuated by a put back slam at the 5:08 mark, which put MSU up 62-55.

“I was trying not to grab it too early,” Wollenman said. “I was worried it was going to be goal tending, so I was trying to keep my hands off it as long as I could. I was on my way down and I figured I had to grab it. It was then or never.”

When it was all said and done, Wollenman finished with four points, five rebounds in 12 huge minutes.

Izzo credited Wollenman for "saving the game" for MSU, and it was a performance his teammates loved seeing him have.

“Colby, he’s a special player because he always knows what he’s supposed to do and he does everything right,” MSU sophomore point guard Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn Jr. said. “You know, he never complains. He’s been around here for five years. You respect a guy like that.”

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