Malik Hall back in action for Michigan State
East Lansing, Mich. – Malik Hall made his return to the Michigan State lineup on Thursday and contributed in immediate fashion by scoring 7 points in the first half as Michigan State took a 30-29 lead into the locker room against Iowa at the Breslin Center.
Hall, Michigan State’s most versatile player, had played in just nine games this season prior to Thursday. Hall missed eight games from Nov. 19 to Dec. 29 due to a stress reaction in his foot. He returned for five games and then re-injured the foot at Illinois on Jan. 13 and had missed the past three games.
Hall played 10 minutes in the first half against the Hawkeyes and scored his first points on a 12-foot, fall-away jumper – preceded by a crossover dribble and spin move to the lane – cutting an early Iowa lead to 12-8.
Hall was 3-of-5 from the field in the first half.
Hall entered the game with 16:21 remaining in the first half, receiving a load ovation from a sold out Breslin Center crowd.
But things started slowly for the Spartans.
Michigan State missed its first nine field goal attempts, and had a turnover returned for a lay-up in falling behind 10-0 with 15:51 left in the first half.
By the 10:00 mark of the first half, Michigan State was 4-of-15 from the field while the Hawkeyes shot 7-of-13, but Michigan State managed to cut the lead to 14-10 on a pull-up jumper by Jaden Akins.
Michigan State took its first lead at 24-23 on a soaring fastbreak dunk by Hall over Connor McCaffery. A Tyson Walker steal led to a AJ Hoggard assist on the play.
At the break, Akins had 7 points on 3-of-6 shooting as seven different Spartans scored in the first half.
Kris Murray and Filip Rebraca led Iowa at halftime with 8 points apiece.
Iowa out-shot Michigan State 46.4 percent to 38.7 percent in the first half.
Neither team shot well from 3-point range in the first half with Iowa hitting 22.2 percent and Michigan State shooting 28.6 percent.
