Michigan State pulls away from DePaul in PK80 opener, 73-51
PORTLAND, Ore. – Michigan State learned about life without Miles Bridges.
Tom Izzo flat-out called the first half “ugly” on TV at halftime. He softened a little by the time it was over.
"Well, it sure wasn't the prettiest game we've played," Izzo said afterward.
The fifth-ranked Spartans were tied with DePaul after the first half of their opening game in the Phil Knight Invitational/PK80 on Thursday at Moda Center. Foul problems, turnovers and poor shooting compounded an already injury-limited lineup.
But MSU got hot early from outside in the second half and clamped down on DePaul defensively. Matt McQuaid, in his first start of the season, helped shoot the Spartans to a 73-51 victory over the Blue Demons.
"I'm happy with the win because of the circumstances we were under," Izzo said.
McQuaid, a junior, set a career high with 20 points and six 3-pointers despite rolling his left ankle in the first half and battling leg cramps the rest of the night.
"As the games go on, I've gotten a lot more confident," McQuaid said. "My teammates and coach are always on me about shooting it. Tonight, I was getting great screens and great passes."
Jaren Jackson Jr. added 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Cassius Winston and Joshua Langford each added 10 points.
MORE: Couch: Conner George's big night for MSU doesn't need exaggeration
MORE: Couch: 3 quick takes from Michigan State's win over DePaul
After surviving, the Spartans (3-1) will face Connecticut on Friday (midnight ET, ESPN). The Huskies rallied to defeat Oregon on Thursday as part of the winners’ portion of the eight-team Victory Bracket.
"I just love it," Izzo said of the second straight, late-night, West Coast start. "You get no sleep. But who in the hell wants to sleep at this time of the year, especially when you have a great tournament like this?"
More storylines from the game:
Lineup in flux
Bridges missed his first game of the season with a sprained left ankle he suffered Sunday against Stony Brook. The sophomore forward did warm up with the Spartans, but Izzo ruled him out before the game on his pregame radio show.
After the game, Izzo said he plans to let Bridges practice Friday morning and decide after if he will play against UConn.
“I think he probably wanted to play tonight,” Izzo said. “His ankle has definitely made some serious progress, but we'll see how it is (Friday). ... He's got a better chance to go whether it be (Friday) or Sunday. We'll see.
"There's nothing really wrong - it was a sprain. If this was NCAA time, he'd be playing.”
No Bridges, along with continued absences of forwards Kyle Ahrens (foot) and Kenny Goins (knee), meant Langford slid to small forward and McQuaid earned his first start of the season at shooting guard.
McQuaid was MSU’s best offensive option early. The 6-foot-4 guard hit three 3-pointers and scored 11 points, but he also had three of the Spartans’ nine first-half turnovers.
With 5:23 left in the opening period, McQuaid rolled his left ankle, but he stayed in the game. He said his quads and calves cramped up a few times in the second half.
After MSU built an eight-point lead on McQuaid’s second 3-ball, DePaul clawed back. Down five, the Blue Demons went on an 11-0 run to take their first lead at 26-20.
The Spartans recovered with four straight points from Jackson and five straight from McQuaid, but Eli Cain’s 3-pointer at the halftime horn tied the score at 31.
"Losing (Bridges), you lose a lot," Jackson said. "You lose points, rebounds, energy, even though he's yelling on the bench. You just have to bring other aspects of your game to the table and be more aggressive."
The Spartans held DePaul to 5-for-23 shooting in the second half for 20 points, limiting them to 25.5 percent for the game. It included holding the Blue Demons' leading scorer, Max Strus, to just 1 of 10 shooting and 0-for-5 from 3-point range.
MSU made four of its first five shots to reclaim the lead after halftime, then went on a 14-0 run. That included five straight points from Langford and then back-to-back 3-pointers from McQuaid for a 51-37 lead. DePaul (1-3) never crept within single-digits after that.
Foul problems
MSU struggled with foul trouble throughout the first half, with six players picking up two fouls apiece before intermission.
Nick Ward went out with two in the first 2 minutes, 12 seconds and Tum Tum Nairn and Gavin Schilling each had two by the middle of the half, further limiting Izzo’s bench options. Then Langford, McQuaid and Winston each were called for their second fouls.
By the end of the half, the Spartans had 13 team fouls and finished with this lineup on the court: Winston, Jackson, Conner George, Ben Carter and Xavier Tillman.
"Our guards struggled the first half. ... The fouling, I'm sure some of it is us, but it's hard to watch games the way it is right now," Izzo said. "There's a lot of touch fouls, and we just don't have the bodies. And when we had a couple fouls, we played very, very stupid. We made some fouls you just can't make."
Despite struggling to keep players on the court in the first 30 minutes, the Spartans held DePaul to 28.6 percent shooting from the floor and 4-for-12 from 3-point range. But the Blue Demons went 9-for-11 from the free-throw line.
Langford fouled out in the second half, and Winston picked up four fouls. Ward sat for much of the final period after getting his third. MSU finished with 26 fouls to 18 for DePaul.
"The fouls, you can look at it a couple ways. I can look at it that we need to be a little smarter," said Jackson, who didn't have a foul until past the midpoint of the second half. "But we're also playing really hard, and our guards are up all the time in guys' grills. I just like that we're playing hard."
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari.