MSU basketball uses dominant first half to cruise past Nebraska on Tuesday

Michigan State basketball used a dominant first half to build a lead they’d never surrender in a 74-56 victory over Nebraska on Tuesday from the Breslin Center.

Michigan State basketball put together arguably their best half of the season to open the game, and staved off a Cornhuskers’ comeback effort in the second half for the convincing victory. With the victory on Tuesday, Michigan State improved to 10-4 on the season and 2-1 in conference play.

The first half opened as expected with the Cornhuskers keeping it tight early. However, Michigan State was able to end the half in dominant fashion to thanks to a 23-to-4 run across the final 11 minutes to carry a 39-27 lead into the break.

The Spartans were led offensively in the opening frame by Tyson Walker — who scored 16 of his game-high 21 points.

The second half was a different story for the Spartans, who failed to build off their strong opening frame and let Nebraska chip away at their lead throughout most of the half. Nebraska attacked the paint throughout the second half and were able to cut Michigan State’s large halftime lead all the way down to 12 points with seven minutes to go.

The Spartans would respond, though, to silence the Cornhuskers comeback effort. Michigan State put together a 10-0 run to push their lead back to 22 and close out Nebraska for the convincing victory.

Along with Walker, Joey Hauser and Jaxon Kohler reached double digits in points with 10 points each. A.J. Hoggard was equally important on the offensive end of the floor with nine assists to lead the Spartans.

Michigan State returns to the court for another home tilt on Saturday against in-state rival Michigan. The Spartans and Wolverines will tangle on the hardwood at 2:30 p.m. ET, with the game being televised on FOX.

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