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LSJ Columnist Graham Couch, Freep Beat Writer Chris Solari and Freep columnist Shawn Windsor MSU's analysis of chances against U-M
Graham Couch and Chris Solari and Shawn Windsor, Lansing State Journal
EAST LANSING – It's the tone for the second half. And, most likely, saved the game for Michigan State on Wednesday.
Aaron Henry grabbed two offensive rebounds, one off his own miss, then Kenny Goins snagged another off his missed 3-pointer. Then another by Henry we have a miss from deep by Matt McQuaid.
Each board got the Breslin Center crowd a little louder. It even drew a chuckle out of Cassius Winston, who missed the first shot of the sequence.
"It was just funny," Winston said. "We got all of those rebounds, and I wanted to shoot a 3 that I should not have shot. But when you're getting all those rebounds, you just feel comfortable shooting those shots. "
Matt McQuaid # 20 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates his Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Breslin Center on February 20, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo11: Rey Del Rio, Getty Images)
When Henry kicked the ball to Winston on the wing, the junior point guard waved off a screen as he laughed. One spin move towards the top of the key, one behind the back dribble, one crossover hesitation move, and he kicked the ball to his right to McQuaid again on the wing.
Catch. Shoot. Splash.
Finally.
That basket tied the game at 40 with 12:35 to play, but it was the time of the day Spartans took over for good. It was the pivotal portion of their 28-7 run after falling behind by 11 points in the second half en route to a 71-60 victory over Rutgers on Wednesday.
"That was a big momentum for us," said McQuaid, who finished with 11 points and had three 3-pointers. "It got us going and set the tone."
Said Winston, "That's how you win games, those momentum swings. … Those are the type of plays that make you hype. And then you hit the 3 like, that can change your whole game. "
Those four carom were the difference for MSU, which grabbed 14 offensive rebounds to Rutgers' 10 and beyond the scarred taller and deeper Scarlet Knights post players 45-31 overall. This all coming in the Spartans' first game without Nick Ward, who had surgery on a fractured hairline on his left hand after Sunday's win over Ohio State.
Goins grabbed 12 rebounds, while sophomore forward Xavier Tillman, who replaced Ward in the starting lineup and played 33 minutes, grabbed 10. Henry ended up with seven boards, and both the freshman and senior Goins each of the five of them on the offensive glass.
"Extremely happy," Tillman said. "It's so tough to come back that we're just so physical, so tough, it's really big for our toughness to show we can outbound bigger teams … It really shows our grit."
Rutgers entered the game third in conference play at 37.4 rebounds a game and with a plus-3.1 margin. The Spartans were first at 39.9 per game plus second with a plus-6.4 margin.
"That's what they do. It's not like we are surprised, "Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said of MSU's four-board sequence. "We showed them clip after clip after clip. This is a great rebounding team, and we knew we were going to have a stretch like that. … You have to finish the deal with rebounding, and we obviously did not do it. "
Climb Mathis # 23 of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights drives to the basket and draws a foul from Kyle Ahrens # 0 of the Michigan State Spartans in the second half at the Breslin Center on February 20, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo11: Rey Del Rio, Getty Images)
Ahrens aching
Kyle Ahrens Fell Hard To The Ground Wednesday, aggravating his already ailing back that continues to go into spasms.
Ahrens went to the floor with 7:39 to play, fouling Caleb McConnell and tripping over the Rutgers guard. The junior swingman pried himself off the court before going back to the sideline.
Then with 2:54 remaining, Ahrens drove baseline from the right wing and soared towards the basketball. However, Scarlet Knights forward Omoruyi Eugene got set on the block and took a charge. Ahrens on the ground for a few seconds after another hard fall, going back to the bench and bending over to stretch it out while talking to Izzo.
Ahrens did not return, and his status for Sunday's game at No. 7 Michigan is uncertain.
"I do not know anymore, but yep," Izzo said when asked if Ahrens was hurting. "I tried to put him back in. Could not go back in. "
more: MSU basketball: Winston, Tillman hit reset button in second half
more: Michigan State no longer has room for error
Line time
MSU made just a few trips to the free-throw line in the first half, which was able to draw in the paint.
Winston became the aggressor in the second half, setting the tone for his teammates to create more contact. He went to the line after halftime, and the Spartans were 17 of 18 in the final period as a team.
"The 20 for 22 (for the game) from the line, the 45-31 from the rebounding were the two reasons we won," Izzo said. "We did not get a little more physical, we did it. Cassius took it in there and got beat up a little bit. "
Contact Chris Solari at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.
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