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Michigan State edges Iowa 63-61 with late buckets

AP PHOTO - Iowa guard Ahron Ulis (1) loses control of the ball as Michigan State guard A.J. Hoggard (11) defends during the first half of a Big Ten Conference basketball game Thursday in East Lansing, Mich.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Tyler Walker and Jaden Akins hit big baskets down the stretch and Michigan State defeated Iowa 63-61 on Thursday night.

Walker came back onto the floor after leaving for a few minutes with a foot injury and immediately hit a long 2-pointer for a 61-59 lead with 1:24 remaining. A half-minute later, Akins sank a short jumper for Michigan State’s largest lead.

Iowa (12-8, 4-5 Big Ten) edged within two on Connor McCaffery’s basket and got the ball back after Hoggard missed the front end of a one-and-one. But Payton Sandfort missed a pair of 3-point attempts.

Akins finished with 12 points, Walker and Mady Sissoko had 10 points each with Sissoko pulling down 10 rebounds for the Spartans (14-7, 6-4). Joey Hauser had three 3-pointers and 11 points and Malik Hall returned after a three-game absence to score 11. Hall, bothered by a left foot injury all season, has only played in 10 games.

Ahron Ulis scored a career-high 17 points, Filip Rebraca had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Kris Murray, averaging over 21 points per game, had 11 for Iowa.

There was only one double-digit lead and that came after Iowa scored the first 10 points while the Spartans were missing their initial nine shots. Michigan State led 30-29 at halftime.

Neither team led by more than six in the second half. Over the final six minutes the Hawkeyes were 1 of 8. The Spartans missed five straight shots before Walker and Akins connected.

Iowa came in with the Big Ten’s highest-scoring offense at nearly 82 points per game but ran into a Spartans team giving up under 66.

The win snapped the Spartans’ three-game losing streak to the Hawkeyes. It was also their fifth win in their last six games while Iowa has lost two straight.

Michigan St. 63, Iowa 61

IOWA (12-8) — Murray 5-13 1-3 11, Rebraca 7-15 2-3 16, Perkins 2-5 2-2 6, Ulis 8-10 0-3 17, C.McCaffery 2-5 0-0 5, Sandfort 2-7 0-0 5, Dix 0-1 0-0 0, Bowen 0-1 1-2 1. TOTALS 26-57 6-13 61.

MICHIGAN ST. (14-7) — Hauser 4-10 0-0 11, Sissoko 4-6 2-4 10, Akins 5-11 0-0 12, Hoggard 3-12 0-1 7, Walker 4-14 0-1 10, Hall 4-8 3-4 11, Brooks 0-0 2-2 2, Kohler 0-1 0-0 0, Holloman 0-0 0-0 0, Cooper 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS 24-62 7-12 63.

Halftime–Michigan St. 30-29. 3-Point Goals–Iowa 3-17 (Ulis 1-1, C.McCaffery 1-4, Sandfort 1-5, Dix 0-1, Perkins 0-1, Murray 0-5), Michigan St. 8-20 (Hauser 3-7, Akins 2-4, Walker 2-5, Hoggard 1-3, Hall 0-1). Rebounds–Iowa 36 (Rebraca 11), Michigan St. 32 (Sissoko 10). Assists–Iowa 9 (Ulis 3), Michigan St. 15 (Walker 5). Total Fouls–Iowa 13, Michigan St. 15. A–14,797 (16,280).

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