Spartans pull away in the first half, beat Penn State 80-72 behind Hall's career-high 29

CBS News Detroit Digital Brief for Feb. 15, 2024

Malik Hall had a career-high 29 points and 10 rebounds, Jaden Akins scored 16 of his 20 points in the first half and Michigan State beat Penn State 80-72 on Wednesday night.

Michigan State (16-9, 8-6) has won seven of its last nine games and four of its last five after starting Big Ten play 1-4.

Michigan State made 13 of its first 25 shots, while Penn State shot just 31.6%, to help take a 32-18 lead. The Spartans went on a 10-0 run to take the first double-digit lead of the game with 6:07 left before halftime.

Akins and Xavier Booker combined to make three 3-pointers on four possessions to give Michigan State a 41-26 lead. Akins made four 3-pointers in the first half as Michigan State led 45-31. The Spartans shot 56% in the half, while Penn State was just 11 of 29.

Penn State started the second half on a 7-1 run to get within 46-38. The Nittany Lions cut it to eight points again, at 58-50, but Michigan State scored the next six points to go ahead by double figures until Zach Hicks hit a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left.

Carson Cooper added 10 points for Michigan State, which claimed the season's first series meeting, 92-61, on Jan. 4 in East Lansing. Tyson Walker and A.J. Hoggard combined to score 10 points on 5-of-17 shooting.

Hicks and Ace Baldwin Jr. each scored 15 points for Penn State (12-13, 6-8), which had won three of its last four games — with all three victories by double digits. Nick Kern Jr. added 14 points.

Michigan State travels to play Michigan on Saturday. Penn State plays at Nebraska on Saturday.

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.