It was a thorough win for MSU, but head coach Tom Izzo said he’s looking beyond this one alone. 

“I'm looking to play for games way beyond the game we just played, and that's where this program is,” Izzo said. “I don't need to win games. I need to win games and improve. If you're not improving and winning games, eventually it's going to catch up with you.”

Scores came easily for MSU, straight from the tip. Early ball movement around the perimeter found open threes and pick-and-roll layups that let the Spartans build an early 29-12 lead by the 12-minute mark of the first half. 

By the same time, Kohler surpassed his season point average with 14 on an early 6-of-8 from the field and 2-of-3 from three. After putting up 14 early, Kohler only made one bucket for the rest of the night.

By the end of the first frame, MSU surpassed its season high in first-half scoring by nine points with 58 on the board. 

Kur Teng, off the bench, got off to a hot start himself. Of the three shots he put up in the first half, all three fell–and from beyond the arc. Sitting the bench for Divine Ugochukwu for the second straight game, Kur Teng rained from deep, hitting on 4 of 5 of his threes. 

Still having to make up for his shaky defense, Teng showed he can still hit the three when needed. In his last two games, Teng is 6-7 from downtown. Izzo said it was great to see him knocking down shots, but was slow to say his defense was improving.

“I was pleased with Kur [Teng], I think he did some really good things and he made some shots,” Izzo said. “His defense is getting better.”

As MSU came out for the second half, the same offensive firepower and basketball IQ didn’t follow the team out. MSU lost the second half by seven and showed it’ll still take a perfect Spartan team for it to reach its goals in March and beyond. 

One of its biggest strengths against Toledo, MSU went back to its roots on the glass and outrebounded the Rockets 54-24 and outscored them 40-16 in the paint.

Turnovers and sloppy play plagued the second half, with 15 turnovers and 17 fouls. MSU struggled to convert easy looks in the paint, hitting just 15 of 22 layups. The Spartans turned the ball over on 21% of their possessions and couldn’t replicate the ball movement from the first half.

After the game, Izzo said he needed more out of his captains’ leadership down the stretch. After turnover failures in the second half, Fears said, “We need to do our job.”

“It’s pretty simple. Second half, we can't let happen, that's a captain thing–all of us,” Fears said. “So it's just making sure we clean up those things, and it matters.”

Of his 29 total points, Toledo’s Sonny Wilson scored 18 in the second half while MSU had no real answer defensively. Toledo made the switch from a post-heavy play style in the first to a more fast-paced, drive-and-kick style that MSU failed to defend.

Even with 92 points in the win, MSU’s defense was the showcase of its first winter break game. Toledo struggled mightily to score in the post, as Carson Cooper, Jesse McCulloch and Kohler each walled off the paint, halting any chances down low.

In the waning minutes, MSU subbed in walk-on duo Colin and Brennan Walton. The two twins never totaled more than two points in a game, yet both hit threes in the final minute to close out a big win. 

MSU will face its annual opponent, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday, Dec. 20, at noon. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.