Senior forward Kenny Goins — playing with a massive brace on his left elbow after a fall Saturday afternoon — made the back-breaking three with 0:36 left, and No. 11 Michigan State survived a tough road night against No. 20 Wisconsin, 67-59. Junior point guard Cassius Winston led the Spartans with 23, but it was the team's defense that prevailed.
Wisconsin redshirt senior center and Wooden Award candidate Ethan Happ scored 20, but in many ways it was by design. A Spartan perimeter defense that struggled in the first half held Badgers not named Happ to only eight second-half points.
MSU only made two field goals for a 12:03 stretch of the second half after a Kenny Goins three with 14:33 remaining, settling for bad shots and turning the ball over several times. This ended with a free-throw line jumper from freshman guard Aaron Henry at the 2:30 mark to give MSU a 59-56 lead. A game that had been frenetic and fast-paced in the first half slowed down considerably in the second half, taking on the tempo and personality more befitting of the Badgers than the Spartans.
Henry gave MSU a bit of a lift, scoring eight and consistently providing good perimeter defense. While he is still not a willing shooter, missing both of his three-point attempts, he was able to make some big plays down the stretch.
Ward’s first half was impressive offensively and his defense on Happ was in many ways reminiscent of one of his mentors, Gavin Schilling. In last season’s victory over Purdue, Schilling was tasked with defending Isaac Haas, and though he did allow some points, he stayed low and allowed MSU to stay honest on three-point shooters. Ward had a similar performance Tuesday night.
Wisconsin scored the first five points of the second half before MSU went on a 12-0 run to take a seven-point lead. Happ then began demanding the ball inside, scoring six straight to tie the score.
The Spartans trailed 32-25 late in the first half when Ward and Winston took over for an 11-2 run. Ward made a shot over his right shoulder, then drew the defense in to feed junior forward Kyle Ahrens for a three. Winston then hit back-to-back triples in transition, taking advantage of an uncharacteristically disorganized Badger defense.
The two teams traded baskets down the stretch of the first half and Wisconsin led at the break, 38-37.
MSU coach Tom Izzo made the decision to not double Happ, who scored eight points to lead the Badgers in the first half. Izzo told ESPN’s Molly McGrath at halftime that he was pleased with Ward’s defense on Happ, but was disappointed with the defense of MSU’s guards. The Badger bench, which typically doesn’t score much, gave them 13 in the first half. The bench only scored two points in the second half.
Support student media!
Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
Discussion
Share and discuss “FINAL: Michigan State men's basketball survives Wisconsin, 67-59” on social media.
