No. 16 Michigan State Cruises to 88-54 Pummeling of Washington
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- No. 16 Michigan State improved its perfect home record to 8-0 with yet another Big Ten victory, this time over Washington.
The Spartans turned in what was arguably their best performance of the season, dominating the visiting Huskies, 88-54, in front of a lively Breslin crowd on Alumni Night. They secured their 13th win of the season and fourth in conference to remain undefeated in Big Ten play.
Michigan State was led by four different double-digit scorers -- senior guard Jaden Akins (20), redshirt freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (12), junior guard Tre Holloman (11) and freshman guard Jase Richardson (12), who excelled on the defensive end as well, recording five steals and two blocks.
Not a whole lot seemed to go wrong for Michigan State in the first half.
That much was evident by a 16-1 start for the Spartans. Washington didn't make a field goal until the 9:35 mark in the first half. It was 0-of-14 until that point.
The Huskies would finally start to put together what little momentum they could as they reached 8 points with just under 7-and-a-half minutes to go in the first, but Michigan State couldn't be silenced.
The Spartans would go on a 12-2 run from there, capped off by a converted and-1 from Fears, who was fouled on a made jumper. That gave his team a 32-10 lead with just over 4-and-a-half minutes remaining before intermission, its largest of the game until that point.
Fears was 3-of-4 from the field in the first half, leading the Spartans in scoring with 10 going into the break. He finished the game with a double-double, posting a game-high 10 assists.
Michigan State held a 42-13 advantage at halftime.
The dominance wasn't quite the same in the second half, but the Spartans still outscored Washington by 5.
Michigan State shot 60% from the field in the second half and 50% from deep.
Overall, the Spartans shot 52.5 from the field on the night and 33.3% from beyond the arc. They made seven 3-pointers, with two apiece having come from Akins and Holloman.
Michigan State extends its win streak to eight games. It will return to action on Sunday when it takes on Northwestern on the road.
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