The Spartans had a big bounce back win over Penn State on Wednesday. Then on Saturday evening, MSU continued their winning ways with a 62-24 win over Brown. Joey Hauser had his name being chanted throughout the Breslin Center due to his phenomenal performance. Hauser had 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. The MSU graduate student forward went 9-13 from the field and showed out once again for the green and white. He also hit a historic mark in his career, hitting the 1,000 point mark. I can’t wait to see what Hauser continues to do as he finishes out his career with MSU.

The guards of Tyson Walker and A.J. Hoggard both showed up again for the Spartans as well. Hoggard had 17 points with 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Walker contributed a solid 10 points and shot 50% from the field. Sophomore Jaden Akins played well too with 9 points and 3-5 from beyond the arc.

“We did an unbelievable job,” said Tom Izzo, on the MSU defensive effort.

Michigan State played well on defense as well, with by holding the Bears to 33% and only four 3-pointers on 20 attempts.  Even without Malik Hall in the lineup, MSU showed that they can lock down their opponents again. Another plus for Michigan State was only turning over the ball six times.

A nice side note is Davis Smith got his first career points as a Spartan. Smith is son of MSU legend Steve Smith. Davis was a walk on with the team and eventually earned a scholarship with the program this past year. He’s really poured his heart and soul in to the green and white program, and Coach Izzo is really happy to have him.

The Spartans get 11 days off before they get their reunion against Rocket Watts and the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. The biggest thing will be to watch for the health of Malik Hall. Will Hall get some playing time against Oakland?  Michigan State will pick back up conference play when they take on Nebraska at home on January 3rd.