Michigan State's legendary coach Tom Izzo inched closer to another milestone Thursday night, securing his 698th career victory as the Spartans outlasted Minnesota with a late surge to triumph 76-66, as reported by CBS News. Spartan's guard Tyson Walker spearheaded the charge, putting up 12 of his total 21 points in the dying minutes of the game that saw Michigan State break from a 62-all deadlock to a decisive win.
The battle was neck-and-neck through the second half with Michigan State trailing just once and the score tying seven times, it was Walker at the 3:38 mark who kickstarted a 14-4 sprint with a critical jumper that would eventually slam the door shut on the Golden Gophers, this detail emerges from a KSL.com report. During that stretch, Walker delivered a stat line that was 4 of 5 from the floor and included two rebounds, four free throws, and a steal, marking a personal 8-minute performance to herald in the win amidst Minnesota's offensive shutdown which culminated in them missing their last five field goals.
Contributing significantly alongside Walker, Malik Hall recorded a double-double featuring 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Spartans, who showed off a strong team game with 20 assists and shot 45% from the field, according to CBS News. Meanwhile, Jaden Akins chipped in with 10 points supporting the Spartans' offense which overall took 16 more field goal attempts than Minnesota, despite the latter sinking four more three-pointers.
On the flip side, Minnesota's hope was kept alive by Dawson Garcia who poured in 22 points, and Mike Mitchell Jr. who added 14 points, including three from beyond the arc, yet that was not enough to prevent their team from sliding into a three-game losing streak; they will be aiming to break the skid when hosting Wisconsin next Tuesday. Meanwhile, Izzo, in his 29th year at the helm of Michigan State, continues to stretch his legacy as the winningest coach in school history now holding a record of 698-287 and an upcoming schedule highlighted by road games against Maryland and 11th-ranked Wisconsin, the home crowd will surely be eager for Izzo's 700th win when Michigan returns to East Lansing on January 30.
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