5 Observations: Michigan State grinds out tough win over Minnesota

In a tough, hardnosed Big Ten game, Tyson Walker and Michigan State men's basketball made enough plays to grind out a win over Minnesota, 76-66.

The second half was a war, with the Spartans holding the lead for the majority but never able to put distance between themselves and the Golden Gophers until the final minute. Every time MSU looked like they had a chance to pull away, Minnesota would hit a big shot to stay close.

Both teams shot the ball well in the first half, with Michigan State owning the interior and Minnesota finding success from 3-point range and at the free throw line. The Spartans scored on their first offensive possession and led wire-to-wire in the opening 20 minutes, but the Golden Gophers hung around and trailed by only five points, 37-32, at halftime. Here are five takeaways from an important win for MSU...

1.) Malik Hall is playing good ball

Another night, another strong showing from fifth-year senior Malik Hall, who was the catalyst on both ends of the floor tonight. The senior had a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and had the unenviable task of defending Minnesota's physical bigs throughout the night.

Tonight continued a strong stretch for Hall, who has scored 14 points or more in five of the last six games. Throwing out the no-show against Northwestern, in which the senior had an empty box score, Hall has averaged 17.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals in those other five games. That's the best stretch of Hall's career.

2.) MSU thrives off Minnesota turnovers.

Minnesota hit their fair share of jumpshots early in the game to stay close, but Michigan State forced the Golden Gophers into a whole lot of turnovers and took advantage at the other end. Minnesota had 10 giveaways in the first half alone, which led to 11 points for the Spartans.

The second half was similar, with Michigan State scoring 10 points off eight Minnesota turnovers. The Golden Gophers had 19 turnovers for the game, with the Spartans coming away with nine steals. On the other end, MSU did a good job taking care of the ball with only five giveaways leading to six Minnesota points.

3.) Spartans dominate the paint

The 3-ball was unkind to Michigan State in the first half, as the Spartans shot just 2-of-7 from deep in the opening 20 minutes. However, MSU seemingly got whatever it wanted at the rim and dominated Minnesota inside. Hoggard, Walker and Akins did a good job getting downhill on drives, and MSU's big were solid around the rim as well. In the first half, the Spartans outscored the Golden Gophers 24-6 in the paint.

That edge carried into the second half as well, with Michigan State outscoring Minnesota 20-6 down low for a whopping 44-12 edge overall in points in the paint. The Spartans needed that advantage, as they shot just 3-for-12 from 3-point range tonight.

4.) Minnesota outrebounds MSU in physical battle

This was a grinding, physical game throughout and while Michigan State held its own in that department, the Golden Gophers won the rebounding battle tonight, 38-35. It was the first time in nine games that the Spartans have been outrebounded. Michigan State actually had more offensive rebounds than Minnesota, 12-10, but the Gophers were more efficient with their second opportunities, outscoring MSU 9-7 in second-chance points.

Despite those final numbers, it's clear Michigan State has improved as a rebounding team over the last several weeks. Combine that with the Spartans' tough defense, and MSU will be a difficult team to score on if they continue to battle on the glass.

5.) Tyson Walker closes this one out

It was a tough night for leading-scorer Tyson Walker for much of the night, but with outcome still in the balance late, the fifth-year came through with some timely, tough baskets around the rim and hit some crucial free throws to help the Spartans close this one out.

With the game tied 62-62 with under four minutes left, Walker scored the next 10 points for Michigan State, and 12 of the final 14, to put the Spartans in front,. Give credit to MSU's defense as well, which held the Gophers to just four points in the final five and a half minutes. For the game, Walker finished with 21 points (his 30th consecutive game scoring in double-figures) on 7-of-13 shooting. The senior added three rebounds, two assists and three steals.

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