Michigan State basketball again burned by slow start in 70-57 loss to Wisconsin

EAST LANSING – More second-half fight.

Not enough again.

Michigan State basketball clawed back from a 12-point first-half deficit and cut Wisconsin’s lead to just three points on two separate occasions after halftime. But the Badgers pulled away to a 70-57 victory Tuesday night at Breslin Center in the Big Ten opener for both teams with a 12-2 knockout run that included nearly five scoreless minutes by the Spartans.

Tyson Walker scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half, including three 3-pointers. A.J. Hoggard had 10 of his 14 points and six of his seven assists after half, with his free throws with 11:21 to play getting MSU within 51-48.

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But Wisconsin’s AJ Storr ensured Wisconsin never lost the lead it held all game. He keyed the Badgers’ 19-9 finishing run over the last 8:42, finishing with 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting.

It was the first time Wisconsin had won three straight at Breslin and the first time doing it at MSU since 1961-63 at Jenison Fieldhouse.

MSU (4-4, 0-1 Big Ten) travels to Nebraska for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff (BTN) for the final December conference game. The Spartans won’t play during finals week and are off until their Dec. 16 game against Baylor, which was moved to a 2 p.m. start at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

Steven Crowl added 18 points, six rebounds and five assists for Wisconsin (7-2, 1-0), which outrebounded the Spartans, 36-22 overall and 11-5 on the offensive glass. That led to a 19-8 second-chance scoring advantage for the Badgers.

Sloppy start

Tom Izzo drastically altered his starting lineup, with Malik Hall in a reserve role due to an illness that kept him from practicing over the weekend. MSU started Carson Cooper and Mady Sissoko in a double-big lineup against 6-9 Tyler Wahl and 7-foot Crowl. Hoggard also returned to the opening group after coming off the bench against Georgia Southern.

It didn’t work early.

Sissoko lost Crowl twice for 3-pointers on the Badgers’ opening two possessions, then got caught up in a Crowl screen on the third trip that freed up Chucky Hepburn for another 3-pointer. A pair of Storr free throws extended Wisconsin’s hot start to an 11-2 lead not even five minutes into the game.

MSU opened 1-for-8 until Jeremy Fears Jr. scored through contact and hit the ensuing free throw. Tre Holloman also drained a 3-pointer, one of two times the Spartans pulled within five points before halftime.

Hoggard struggled defensively trying to match up with the 6-7 Storr after that, giving up seven straight points to the sophomore forward who transferred from St. John’s. That gave Wisconsin its biggest lead of the half, 20-8, at the midpoint.

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Walker finally got in the scoring column with 8:57 left before halftime, but he made just 2 of 8 shots for four points before the break.

Hoggard put a strong offensive stretch together, scoring through contact and hitting a long jumper to pull MSU within 28-23 with inside 2 1/2 minutes left before the break. But Cooper lost Crowl for another 3-pointer, then Storr connected from deep as time expired to send the Badgers to the locker room back up double-digits, 34-23.

Wisconsin went 6-for-13 from 3-point range in the first half, with Crowl and Storr combining for 23 points as Wahl was scoreless and in foul trouble. The Spartans were 1-for-7 from deep and got outrebounded, 16-12.

Recovery falls short

MSU showed some defensive chutzpah coming out of the break, then started to get things rolling offensively. Particularly Walker.

The senior guard hit a jumper and knifed through baseline traffic for a layup. Hoggard drained a 3-pointer, and the Spartans cut it to eight.

After a Badgers 3-pointer from Conner Essegian pushed the lead back to 11, Walker caught fire, with help from Hoggard.

The two hit back-to-back 3-pointers to quickly slice it back to a five-point hole. Then on back-to-back possessions, MSU ran the same down screen for Walker to pop out to the left wing. Both times, Hoggard delivered in-pocket passes, both times Walker drilled 3s. The Spartans were within 49-46 on his second.

However, MSU could get no closer. After Hoggard’s free throws, Storr drilled a 3-pointer to spark the clinching run, then added five more points as the Badgers’ lead swelled back to 13.

The Spartans kept trying to catch up and used a Holloman jumper after a Walker steal to pull back within nine with inside a minute left. But Wisconsin finished the Spartans off at the free-throw line, hitting its final four to finish 14-for-14 for the game.

It was the second straight season the Spartans lost their Big Ten home-opener, falling last year to Northwestern.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State again burned by slow start in 70-57 loss to Wisconsin