Box Score GRAND RAPIDS, Mich ? No. 13 Michigan State rode 17 second-half points from senior Paul Davis to pull out a 72-67 win over the Arkansas-Little Rock men's basketball team at Van Andel Arena. The Trojans (3-2) played to a 30-all standstill at the break, but Davis scored the Spartans first nine points out of the intermission to help MSU to the five-point win.
“This was a smash-mouth team. I watched them warm up and I went in and told my staff this was a junkyard dog," said MSU head coach Tom Izzo. "These guys are not afraid of anything. You can see it on their faces.”
Michigan State (5-2) shot 57.9 percent from the field (11-of-19) and 94.7 percent from the free-throw line (18-19) in the second half to keep the Trojans at bay. Freshman Lekheythan Malone led UALR with a career-high 19 points and added six rebounds, to help the Trojans outrebound the much bigger Spartans 29-25.
“I just thought [UALR's] aggressiveness was good," added Izzo. "They switched, they came at us, they strong-armed us. We struggle with strength. I like the way they play. They play smash-mouth basketball."
Davis' 23 points, included an 11-of-11 effort at the foul line. Maurice Ager added 22 points, while Shannon Brown chipped in 14 in the win.
UALR held a 32-30 lead at the start of the second half after a pair of free throws by junior Rashad Jones-Jennings, but it would mark the Trojans last lead of the game, as MSU turned to its preseason Wooden Award All-American. After scoring just six points in the first half, Davis scored nine straight points as part of a 14-0 run to put the Spartans on top for good. UALR went without a field goal for the first 6:15 of the second half, before a three pointer from senior Elijah Muldrow.
The Trojans kept it close throughout the second half, but could not get over the hump as timely buckets from Davis and MSU's efficiency at the foul line kept UALR from pulling off the upset.
UALR had four players score in double digits in the losing effort, as Muldrow chipped in 15 points, followed by juniors Zack Wright and Jones-Jennings with 14 and 10, respectively. Wright added 10 assists for his second double-double of the season.
UALR rode 10 points from Malone to take the game into the half tied at 30. UALR outshot (45.0 to 41.7) and outrebounded (16 to 13) the bigger Spartans over the first 20 minutes and led by as many as seven points, 23-16, with 6:54 left to play.
Michigan State took an early 7-1 lead after a jumper by Maurice Ager, but the Trojans responded with a 10-0 run to go on top 11-7 after a three pointer by freshman De'Andre Eggins at the 13:57 mark.
Trailing 16-15 after a bucket by Davis, the Trojans strung together an 8-0 run to take their biggest lead of the half 23-16 with 6:54 remaining. Malone led the charge with five points, while Wright knocked down 1-of-2 technical free throws (called on the MSU bench).
Sophomore Drew Neitzel brought Michigan State back, as a pair of buckets in front of his hometown fans helped the Spartans reclaim the lead with a 9-0 run. Ager capped off the spurt with a breakaway dunk off a steal to put MSU ahead 25-23 with 3:13 on the clock.
UALR continues its Big Ten road swing on Monday, Dec. 5, when the Trojans take on the Fighting Illini at 7 p.m. in Champaign, Ill. The UALR game can be seen through ESPN's FullCourt package, or locally on Comcast channel 23.
