The Hoosiers took the lead after a quick three-pointer in the opening minutes and held it for the entirety of the first half. Just over 11 minutes into the game, Indiana led 24-7 after some massive offensive issues and sloppy turnovers from the entire Spartan squad.

But, the Spartans were able to completely change to course of the game after the Hoosiers' 17-point lead. Michigan State closed out the half on an 8-0 run and returned to the locker room down just 34-29. 

The MSU fire carried over into the second half when graduate student guard Tyson Walker and junior guard Jaden Akins sunk a combined three quick threes to take their first lead of the game 38-36.

The remainder of the game was a tight back-and-forth battle that never truly revealed who would come out on top.

The game-decider came in the final four seconds when Walker missed a highly contested layup and Indiana’s Xavier Johnson came up with the defensive rebound through a mass of MSU players to secure his team’s one-point victory over the Spartans 65-64. 

Tyson Walker had a massive 30-point game, but the hole the Spartans dug themselves into in the opening minutes was detrimental. The Spartans had many problems both offensively and defensively: Michigan State shot just 25-for-65 from the field, including making only eight of 25 three-pointers; the Spartans were also outrebounded 43 to 35.

Michigan State has continued to struggle guarding big men this season, and 7' 0" Kel’el Ware was not an exception. Ware ended the night with 28 points and 12 rebounds and was truly the stand-out Hoosier this Sunday afternoon. 

Ware’s presence in the center position allowed Indiana to outscore Michigan State 40-22 in the paint—a place where MSU typically thrives.

The Spartans will be back in action on Thursday at 12 p.m. and play Minnesota for the Big Ten Tournament in Minneapolis, Minnesota.