Michigan State beats Minnesota 77-67 in Big Ten Tournament

Minneapolis ready to host men’s Big Ten basketball tournament

A.J. Hoggard scored 17 points on 6-of-6 shooting, Tyson Walker added 15 points and No. 8 seed Michigan State beat No. 9 seed Minnesota 77-67 on Thursday in the second round of the Big Ten Conference Tournament.

Michigan State (19-13) advances to play top-seeded Purdue in the quarterfinals on Friday. The Spartans dropped an 80-74 contest at then-No. 2 Purdue on March 2 in the only regular-season meeting. Zach Edey had 32 points and 11 rebounds in that game as the Boilermakers clinched a share of the Big Ten regular-season championship — their conference-best 26th title.

Michigan State went on a 15-2 run over a five-minute stretch to pull away from Minnesota in the second half. Malik Hall made his second field goal of the game with 11:53 left and he completed the three-point play to give Michigan State a 50-49 lead. Hall added a layup with 7:25 left to cap the run for a 59-51 lead as Minnesota missed five field goals during the stretch.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - MARCH 14: Malik Hall #25 of the Michigan State Spartans drives to the basket against Dawson Garcia #3 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the second half in the Second Round of the Big Ten Tournament at Target Center on March 14, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Spartans defeated the Golden Gophers 77-67. David Berding / Getty Images

Walker took over down the stretch, scoring eight straight points. He gave Michigan State its first double-digit lead of the game with 3:12 left on a long jumper from the wing and, after a Minnesota basket, he added a shot in the lane to regain the 10-point edge. He got to the rim once more for a shot that hit hard off the backboard, but Jaxon Kohler followed with a putback to make it 73-64 with 1:46 left.

Hoggard made all five of his shots in the second half for 13 points, Walker was 4 of 6 for 10 points and Michigan State shot 62% after halftime. Hall scored seven of his nine points in the second half.

Dawson Garcia led Minnesota (18-14) with 19 points. Parker Fox, Pharrel Payne and Cam Christie each scored 11. Elijah Hawkins had 10 points and seven assists.

Both teams shot 48% or better from the field in the first half as Minnesota held a 34-32 lead.

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