Spartans torch Indiana, 103-74

Balanced attack paces MSU

You know what they say about paybacks.

After losing by 19 points to Indiana on Feb. 16, the MSU men’s basketball team responded by crushing the Hoosiers, 103-74, on Sunday afternoon at Breslin Center.

“We worked hard against (the zone) and I thought we moved the ball well,” MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. “We played almost flawless.”

And when a team shoots 60.7 percent and finishes the game with 28 assists on 37 baskets, the likelihood of them snatching a victory is common.

That’s exactly what the No. 19 Spartans (23-6 overall, 11-5 Big Ten) did — sophomore forward Raymar Morgan led MSU with 20 points while senior guard Drew Neitzel and junior center Goran Suton chipped in 17 each.

“Coach really stressed (the fast break) all week — just getting easy baskets and getting them tired a little bit,” Morgan said. “With this win of this caliber, it can only give you confidence. We will go into the other games with more confidence and just play hard.”

MSU led by as many as 32 points late in the first half and 28 at the break, before the No. 12 Hoosiers (24-5, 13-3) showed some signs of battling back with a 13-2 run, cutting the deficit to 17 with 10 minutes to play.

But the Spartans showed Indiana the exit sign, answering with an 18-6 run that included a 3-pointer from the wing by Suton — the first of his career.

“(MSU) played a great game,” Indiana interim head coach Dan Dakich said. “They’re the best transition team, make or miss, in the league. It was a frustrating day with that, because it’s something that was and is the emphasis on playing when you play Michigan State. They beat us back, they ran past us and that should never happen.”

Freshman guards Kalin Lucas and Chris Allen added to the Spartans’ balanced scoring attack, finishing with 14 and 11, respectively.

Eric Gordon led the Hoosiers with 22 points and D.J. White added a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

The fast-paced game worked completely in MSU’s favor, as the Spartans finished with 22 points off the break — a component Izzo was amazed by.

“It was unbelievable — at times I thought it was the best fast breaking team I’ve seen here since I’ve started,” Izzo said. “That was lethal.”

With 4:46 to play in the game, Izzo checked Neitzel and senior center Drew Naymick back into the game which sparked the crowd to stand up and erupt with applause.

And when Suton reentered the game with 2:46 left to replace Naymick after a storybook block to finish his home career, the arena began to boom again, as the 6-foot-10 veteran bent down and kissed the “S” at center court.

“For this game to cap off all the games at the Breslin for me was perfect,” Naymick said. “I saw the packed stadium and the standing ovation … nothing was like tonight. Tonight was special.”

Then it was Neitzel’s goodbye party, as freshman guard Mike Kebler checked in and slapped his hand with 1:20 to play after Neitzel gave his team 100 points off a layup. The crowd watched Neitzel also kiss center court and jog to the bench, where he hugged every coach and player on his team.

“I’m so blessed to have the opportunity to play for a university like this, a program as elite as this one — I’m blessed of all the memories and all that I’ve learned throughout my career,” he said. “It was emotional. This year has been a little bit of a roller coaster for me and I just kept trying to keep fighting and it’s a great way to go out at the Breslin.”

MSU didn’t waste any time getting the beatdown started in the first half — immediately jumping out to a 18-7 lead in the first 4:35 with help from two rare Morgan 3-pointers.

The Green and White continued their solid performance, tallying 18 assists on 21 baskets with just five turnovers.

Indiana never scored more than six straight points, while at one point, MSU scored 16 unanswered points in a five-minute span — finishing the half shooting 77.8 percent.

MSU’s versatility and sticky defense kept the visiting Hoosiers out of their element as they only strung together back-to-back field goals six times the entire game, as well as coughing the ball up 14 times.

“We’re going to use this and try to build some momentum,” Neitzel said. “We’re out of the Big Ten regular season (championship), but if we can get these next couple road games going into the Big Ten Tournament, we could be dangerous.”

The Spartans continue play at 9 p.m. Thursday in Illinois.

Published on Sunday, March 2, 2008