National Basketball Association
Michigan St 100, Mississippi Valley State 53
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, November 18, 2016
Where: Jack Breslin Student Events Center, East Lansing, Michigan
Officials:
# Pat Driscoll, # Bill Ek, # Steve McJunkins
Attendance:
14797
By The Sports Xchange
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The combination of coming home and playing a weaker opponent lifted the spirits of the Michigan State basketball team.
The No. 13 Spartans began their season with losses to Top 10 teams Arizona and Kentucky.
They finally got their first victory of the season on Friday. Freshman forward Miles Bridges scored 21 of his 24 points in the first half and Michigan State cruised to a 100-53 victory over Mississippi Valley State at the Breslin Center.
Just what they needed to restore some confidence.
"I think it was important," coach Tom Izzo said. "I tell my players what you have to do is use this as a life lesson and not just a basketball lesson. You're going to get knocked down a lot of times in your life, and how you respond to that. How do you respond to getting embarrassed? I don't mean getting embarrassed because Kentucky was a better team than us, but we did not play Spartan basketball, and that's embarrassing to the program."
Bridges also grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out six assists for the Spartans (1-2). Izzo was pleased how the jewel of his freshman recruiting class responded to a poor outing, as Bridges scored six points and committed nine turnovers against Kentucky.
"I thought he let the game come to him," Izzo said. "The second half, I thought he almost let it come to him too much. But, it's really fun to coach a guy who is so unselfish and got more excited jumping higher on a couple of his assists than a couple of his baskets."
Senior guard Eron Harris contributed 19 points and hit five 3-pointers, freshman forward Nick Ward added 18 points and eight rebounds and sophomore guard Matt McQuaid tossed in 15 points for Michigan State.
The Spartans recorded the 100th home-opening win in school history.
"It's so important, it changes the energy," said Harris, who scored a combined nine points in the two losses. "Everyone's energy is just up and we need that confidence. What's in the past is in the past and we have a huge future to come. We're confident in our future and we're excited."
Forward Ronald Strother led the Delta Devils (0-4) with 12 points, and Amos Given chipped in 10. The Southwestern Athletic Conference club has lost by at least 30 points in each game.
"Unfortunately our guys were hard-headed, to be honest with you," Mississippi Valley coach Andre Payne said. "They decided they were going to do what they wanted to do instead of sticking with the game (plan). We had some bad decisions and our guys made some bad plays. When you're on the road this much and you're playing against major teams, you cannot afford to make two or three mistakes because they will make you pay."
Bridges shot 10-for-11 from the field in the first half as the Spartans secured a 48-23 lead.
The first 12 field-goal attempts in the game were missed. Bridges broke the drought with a jumper but Mississippi Valley hung tough until the last seven minutes of the half.
Bridges started the Spartans' 24-4 run in the final 6:51 with a jumper. Harris followed with a 3-pointer to give Michigan State its first double-digit lead.
Harris made another 3-pointer before the half ended, and Ward's three-point play with a tick left on the clock completed the Spartans' first-half run.
NOTES: The Delta Devils fell to another Big Ten team, Northwestern, in its opener. 94-63. They were also soundly defeated by West Virginia, 107-60, and Kent State, 93-63, prior to Friday's game. ... Mississippi Valley State lost its first 14 games a year ago. ... The Spartans made 16 of 28 3-point attempts. ... Michigan State plays Florida Gulf Coast at the Breslin Center on Sunday.
Top Game Performances
| Mississippi Valley State |
|
Michigan St |
|
Ronald Strother Jr. 12 |
Scoring |
Miles Bridges 24 |
|
Rashaan Surles 3 |
Assists |
Cassius Winston 11 |
|
Jamal Watson 5 |
Rebounds |
Miles Bridges 11 |
|
Jevon Smith 2 |
Free Throws Made |
Eron Harris 2 |
|
Darrell Riley 3 |
Steals |
Cassius Winston 3 |
|
Hasaan Buggs 1 |
Blocks |
Kenny Goins 1 |
Team Stats Summary
For more information, contact us