Purdue's freshman guard Braden Smith (3) attempts to make a shot while junior guard A.J. Hoggard (11) and senior guard Tyson Walker (2) guard him during a game against Purdue at Mackey Arena on Jan. 29, 2023. The Spartans lost to the Boilermakers 77-61.
West Lafayette, IN- Michigan State suffered a 77-61 loss at the hands of No. 1 Purdue Sunday afternoon. Although the matchup began neck-and-neck, the Boilermakers ultimately shutdown the Spartans to complete their sweep.
On Jan. 16, Purdue outlasted the Spartans 64-63, emerging victorious at the Breslin Center for the first time since 2018. MSU was looking for a similarly competitive game on the road, but were unable to keep it close as the game went on.
The return of senior forward Malik Hall came as a relief to head coach Tom Izzo. Izzo refers to Hall as his most versatile, and arguably most experienced player on the roster.
However, Hall had an uncharacteristic first half performance, collecting a measly three points. Hall collected three fouls by the end of the half, an unusual statistic from him.
Turnovers become a problem early on, especially for junior guard A.J. Hoggard. Hoggard gifted the Boilermakers two turnovers within the first five minutes of play.
Michigan State picked up eight turnovers by the end of the half, compared to three for the Boilermakers.
The first few minutes were a back-and-forth affair, but the Boilermakers quickly took control.
Purdue was sinking buckets from behind the arc left and right. Michigan State couldn’t get shots to fall, allowing the Boilermakers to take the lead midway through the first half.
With just under ten minutes in the half, freshman center Jaxon Kohler sent Hoggard the ball from under the basket who then sank three, breaking the Spartan scoring drought and putting the green and white back in the game.
Junior center Zach Edey was arguably the key to the Boilermaker’s win. Similar to his performance at the Breslin Center a few weeks prior, Edey dominated the Spartans on both ends of the floor.
MSU’s lack of experience at the five spot has hurt them all season, but it was apparent against Purdue and the 7-foot-4 big in the middle.
It was an ugly first half for junior center Mady Sissoko. During his nine minutes of play, Sissoko picked up a singular rebound and two fouls. Freshman center Carson Cooper and Kohler went head-to-head with Edey, but neither could efficiently guard the center.
The Spartans fell further behind the Boilermakers as the clock ran down. Hall picked up his third foul within the final seconds followed by a technical gifted to Izzo.
Purdue led the green and white with its largest lead of the game, 40-22 at halftime.
The Spartans showed signs of life early in the second half with buckets from Hoggard and graduate student forward Joey Hauser to put MSU on the board.
Edey continued to shine, notching a career-high 38 points for the Boilermakers.
Hall dribbled down the floor, weaving his way around Purdue's defenders and shortening the Boilermaker’s lead to 10 with a quick layup.
With six minutes to play, Hoggard drove to the right of the basket and Edey drew a foul, his first against the Spartans this season. Edey went on to foul Hoggard once again just over a minute later.
Hoggard carried the green and white on offense, clinching a team-high 20 points and six assists.
Michigan State ran out of gas down the final stretch, and were unable to comeback from Purdue's substantial lead.
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Michigan State will to bounce back on the road against Rutgers on Saturday, Feb. 4. Tipoff is set for noon.
