EVANSTON, Ill. — The road remained unkind. So did Michigan State basketball’s struggles with Northwestern.
The Spartans’ five-game win streak came to a grinding halt along with their offensive and defensive rhythm, with the physical Wildcats pestering and pushing their way to a 88-74 victory Sunday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
It was the second Big Ten road loss in as many trips for MSU (9-6, 1-3), following a 77-70 defeat at Nebraska on Dec. 10.
The Spartans have lost three straight to Northwestern for the first time since 1960-62 and four of the last five meetings — two at home and two on the road.
Michigan State Spartans guard Jaden Akins (3) defends Northwestern Wildcats guard Boo Buie (0) during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois, on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024.
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Tyson Walker scored 27 points on 10-for-18 shooting, including four three pointers. A.J. Hoggard had 13 points and eight assists, while Jaden Akins scored 13 and Carson Cooper 10 for the Spartans.
Northwestern scored 21 points off 13 MSU turnovers. The Spartans managed just two points and only turned the Wildcats over five times for the game.
After missing seven straight 3-pointers to open the game, the Wildcats (11-3, 2-1) went on to finish 9-for-23 from behind the arc. Ty Berry scored 22 points to lead five Northwestern players in double figures. Boo Buie had 13 of his 19 in the second half and added 10 assists, while Brooks Barnhizer had 16 points and seven rebounds. Ryan Langbord scored 12 and Luke Hunger 10.
MSU will make its first back-to-back road swing of the Big Ten season Thursday (9 p.m., FS1) when the Spartans travel to Illinois.
Bully ball
It was a wildly consistent first half … for the referees, with 17 fouls called — some poorly blown whistles, some worse no-calls. But some were correct, because Northwestern opened the game with a mission to be the aggressor and set the tone physically against the Spartans’ guards.
MSU was punished inside by the Wildcats’ physicality, with their guards bullying their way deep in the paint frequently and turning eight offensive rebounds into eight second-chance points as the Spartans failed to box out for the first 10 minutes.
Northwestern Wildcats guard Brooks Barnhizer (13) defends Michigan State Spartans forward Malik Hall (25) during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois, on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024.
And despite the Spartans’ strong stretch of defense, which included getting 11 first-half steals in a blowout win over Penn State on Thursday, MSU forced just two Wildcat turnovers in the first half and committed 10. Those led to a 17 Wildcat points.
Walker had 11 points at halftime, nine of those coming on 3-pointers, but Northwestern bodied him anytime he went inside the arc. He was 3-for-4 from deep but just 1-for-4 from inside the arc, with his third 3 giving MSU its biggest lead of the half, 22-18, at the midpoint.
But Luke Hunger and Berry picked up back-to-back tips on interior breakdowns by the Spartans. Walker’s driving layup through contact gave MSU its final lead of the half at 24-22.
From there, Northwestern closed out the half on a 24-7 burst, shaking off an 0-for-7 start from 3-point range by making four of their last six in the final 7:05 of the half. Berry had 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting, and Buie had six points and six assists, with his driving layup sending the Wildcats to the locker room with a 46-31 cushion.
It was the Spartans’ largest first-half deficit of the season, surpassing the 11-point leads Duke and Wisconsin had and the 10-point lead Arizona built in losses in 2023. They had outscored their previous opponents 218-111 in the first halves during their win streak.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, left, directs his team during the first half against Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois, on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024.
No gaining ground
MSU got within 11 points three times in the second half but no closer. Tom Izzo’s team had been outscoring opponents 89-63.4 during its win streak.
The Spartans scored the first four points out of the break, but Northwestern continued its hot shooting with Berry draining two 3-pointers and Langbord another. The Wildcats extended their lead to 18 with 14:55 to play on a pair of Buie free throws after a technical foul by Walker for saying something to Berry.
Jaxon Kohler made his season debut after offseason left foot surgery, with the sophomore big checking in with 12:41 to play and MSU down 14. The Wildcats scored five straight points to go up 19, but the Spartans went on an 8-0 run with a pair of Hoggard 3-pointers to pull back within 11 for the second time in the half.
Walker had a hot streak late, scoring 10 straight points — a three-point play, a layup, a 3-pointer and two free throws with 1:50 left that got MSU back within 11. But the Wildcats started making their free throws in the final minute and a half after some misses the Spartans failed to take advantage of.
The two teams combined for 22 more fouls in the second half, which was more indicative of how physical the game continued to be after halftime.
Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball bullied by Northwestern in 88-74 road loss
