Michigan State Picks up a Huge Win over Iowa

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(Amber Searls, USA Today)

#18 Iowa came to East Lansing to face the 24th ranked Michigan State Spartans in a big-time Big Tens showdown. In a back and forth game, the Spartans won 78-70. The Hawkeyes come in winners of their 7 of their last 10 games behind the strong play of Junior Luka Garza. The Spartans are coming off a comfortable win at Nebraska, but have only broken even in their last ten games. Iowa was without one of their top scorers in CJ Fredrick and presented a challenge for Hawkeyes. This game had huge ramifications for Big Ten regular-season title hopes. This game featured two National Player of the Year candidates and did not disappoint.

First Half

The first half was marked by poor outside shooting, with Iowa shooting 3 of 12 and the Spartans shooting 1 of 9. Cassius Winston struggled mightily and only scored one point, but freshmen Rocket Watts lead the Spartans with 10 points. For Iowa, Luka Garza started out 0 for 4 from the field but quickly got into a rhythm. He ended the half with 12 points and 6 rebounds, despite drawing double and triple teams. Teammate Conor McCaffrey scored 7 points and distributed the ball well, racking up 4 assists. The first half was back and forth affair, as both teams traded the lead. Iowa went on a huge 7-0 over 3 minutes, but Michigan State did not go away and the score at the half was 33-27, Hawkeyes by 6.

Second Half

Despite struggling in the first half, Cassius Winston exploded in the second half, scoring 19 of his 20 in the second half. Winston came off screens, caught the ball and hit  Rocket Watts continued his excellent play, scoring at the rim and from beyond the arc. Watts But the biggest change for Michigan State was its defense, especially from Xavier Tillman on Luka Garza. Tillman was excellent guarding Garza and Iowa’s other players could not score when Garza was struggling. Iowa could not buy a shot from beyond the arc and every time they went into the post they were smothered. Iowa senior Ryan Kriener had a solid game with 18 points and 7 rebounds. Luka Garza struggled mightly against the defense of Xavier Tillman and only scored 8 points in the second half. The Spartans defense held and shots fell, with the Spartans winning 78-70.

Up Next

This is a huge win for the Spartans, who now stand alone in 2nd in the Big Ten behind Maryland. The Spartans will visit the Terrapins this Saturday, a game that will have huge ramifications for the conference title race. The Spartans now stand at 19-9 overall and 11-6 in Big Ten play.

This is a tough loss for the Hawkeyes, who struggled to respond to a rejuvenated Michigan State squad in the 2nd half. The Hawkeyes sit in 4th in the Big Ten at 10-7 and 19-9 on the season. They will play host to Penn State this Saturday in another big-time matchup.

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