Michigan State falls short vs. Illinois despite A.J. Hoggard's 20-point night

On a night in which they led for the majority of the way, Michigan State sputtered offensively in the second half of a 75-66 loss to Illinois on Friday night.

The Spartans led 50-41 through the first seven minutes of the second half, but were outscored 34-16 over the final 13 minutes of the game. Junior point guard A.J. Hoggard scored some big buckets late and finished with 20 points for MSU, but his supporting cast mostly struggled on the offensive end of the floor.

Senior Joey Hauser recorded his seventh double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, but the power forward was just 4-of-11 from the floor. Senior Tyson Walker added 14 points and four rebounds, but he shot just 6-of-15 from the floor.

Small forward Malik Hall, who missed several weeks with a stress-related foot injury, left the game tonight after coming up limping in the second half. The senior played just 18 minutes, and the Spartans missed his defensive presence after he departed the game.

Michigan State out-rebounded Illinois, 42-30, and had a 15-8 advantage on the offensive glass. As a result, the Spartans scored 16 second-chance points against just eight for the Illini.

MSU also had a 44-38 advantage in points in the paint, but Illinois did more damaged from the outside. The Illini shot 6-of-18 from beyond the three-point line, while the Spartans went 0-for-7 from deep.

One bright spot for Michigan State was freshman center Carson Cooper, who has played 12 minutes off the bench in back-to-back nights for MSU. Cooper scored a career-high six points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting night, while adding four rebounds for the Spartans. Meanwhile, fellow freshman big Jaxon Kohler was limited to just two minutes tonight.

Sophomore Jaden Akins struggled offensively, shooting just 3-for-11 from the floor to finish with six points, four rebounds and two steals. Starting center Mady Sissoko had five points and six rebounds, while freshman point guard Tre Hollaman added two points, two rebounds and an assist.

Michigan State has a quick turnaround before their next game. The Spartans will host No. 3 Purdue on Monday.