Graduate student forward Joey Hauser scored a team-high 22 points for the Spartans, also earning six rebounds and an assist. 

Glancing at the stat sheet, it seemed as though things weren’t quite as imbalanced as the score indicated. MSU shot 43% from the field, Indiana shot 47%. MSU had 30 rebounds, Indiana had 32. MSU had 10 turnovers, Indiana had nine. 

However, the key difference was three-point shooting percentage.  Indiana killed Michigan State from deep. The Hoosiers made nine threes, shooting 60% from beyond the arch by the end of the game. 

Slow starts have plagued the Spartans of late. However, MSU finally kicked things off with confidence, jumping to as much as a nine-point lead and controlling things for a good chunk of the half. The Spartans were solid on both sides of the court, locking down on defense and churning out quality offensive possessions. 

Michigan State’s offense ran through Hauser for most of the half. He had 11 of the first 17 points, creating shots off the dribble, driving to the basket and splashing threes.

Freshman forward Jaxon Kohler continued to play with confidence in the first half, notching six points and snagging three rebounds coming off the bench. 

Despite having one of the best offenses in the country, Indiana initially struggled against MSU’s defense. The Hoosier’s star man, Jackson-Davis, couldn’t find a rhythm early. He missed his first four shots, finding his first basket nine minutes into the game. 

Freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, another one of IU’s more lethal offensive weapons, also started off shooting 0-4. 

However, around the halfway point of the first, Indiana’s offense caught fire. After his cold start, Jackson-Davis came in with 13 points to end the half, and the IU guards started draining threes. 

Besides a couple of nice baskets from senior guard Tyson Walker, MSU’s offense started to stall out and Indiana’s stars finally started showing up, taking firm control of the game. 

After such a solid start, MSU entered the locker room at the half trailing by five points. 

Michigan State’s offense found its legs again in the second half. Walker and sophomore guard Jaden Akins combined for a quick nine points and MSU knotted things up at 42. Akins was one of the few Spartans that actually found consistent buckets throughout the second half, finishing with 12 points and a rebound. 

After battling back and forth for the first few minutes of the second half and trading leads, Indiana started dictating the pace of play and running away with the game. MSU’s offense went ice-cold near the midway point of the second and Indiana just kept building on its lead. 

Indiana eventually built a lead to double-digits and never looked back. After taking a brief 51-49 lead in the second, MSU was outscored 31-18 to end the game. Every Michigan State bucket was answered by Indiana. The Spartans could never quite put together a consistent run and paid for it, limping to the finish line.

The Spartans will look to bounce back from the 82-69 loss when they return home Thursday to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes at the Breslin Center.