Spartans win 89-68 over Buffalo with Hall’s return

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Joey Hauser and A.J. Hoggard had double-doubles, and Michigan State welcomed back Malik Hall to the court in a 89-68 win over Buffalo.

Hall, a double-figures scoring guard who missed eight previous games due to a left foot injury, saw his minutes cut to 12, but still scored 11 points. Hauser scored 14 points, had 12 rebounds, six assists and Hauser had 11 points. Hoggard was able to score 11 points and get 10 assists. Jaden Akins made all three 3-point attempts, scoring 13 points.

In winning their fourth consecutive game, the Spartans (9-4), shot 51%. They will face Nebraska in Big Ten play on Tuesday.

Isaiah Adams scored 15 points on three 3-pointers. Curtis Jones, LaQuill Hardnett and Armoni Foster added 12 each to the Bulls’ (12-7) total. They open Mid-American Conference play Tuesday against Ohio.

To pull within three, Buffalo scored eight points in the first half. Akins made a 3-pointer and Mady Soko had two dunks to make it 13-4. The Bulls led remained at double figures. However, the Spartans blew the game away with a 17-2 victory over the Bulls in just 5 1/2 minutes. They had a 26-point lead with less than three minutes left.

The Spartans shot 47% despite a 1-of-7 start. They took a 41-30 halftime lead. Hall scored nine points and Hauser had eight rebounds. While the Bulls shot just 30%, the Spartans shot 47%. A 3-pointer by Akins gave the Spartans a lead that would last seven minutes and set off a 20-8 run that saw Michigan State go up 29-17.

This was the fifth meeting of the schools. All five were won by Michigan State. However, it was the first since 1938.

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