EAST LANSING, Michigan (AP) — Joey Hauser and AJ Hoggard scored double-doubles, and Michigan State welcomed Malik Hall’s return to the floor in an 89-68 victory over Buffalo on Friday night. .
Double-digit scorer Hall, who has missed the last eight games with a left foot injury, has scored 11 goals in a limited 12-minute playing time. Hauser had 14 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, while Hoggard had 10 assists and 11 points. Jaden Akins made all three of his 3-point attempts and scored 13 points.
The Spartans (9-4) posted a 51% shooting percentage on their fourth straight win. They resume Big Ten play against Nebraska on Tuesday.
Isaiah Adams scored 15 points on three 3-pointers, Curtis Jones and LaKil Hardnett each scored 12, and Armoni Foster scored 10.
Buffalo scored the first eight points of the second half to get within three, but Eakins hit three points and Madi Sissoko had a pair of dunks for a 13-4 run. At , the Spartans led the Bulls 17-2 by over 5 and 1/2 minutes and wrapped up the game with a maximum lead of 26 with less than 3 minutes remaining.
Despite one start in seven, the Spartans took a 41-30 halftime lead with nine points from Hall and eight rebounds from Hauser, shooting 47% while the Bulls shot just 30%. An Eakins 3-point shot gave the Spartans the lead, starting a 20-8 run in seven minutes, and Michigan State led 29-17.
This was the fifth inter-school meeting, all won by Michigan, but the first since 1938.
___
Other AP College Basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/ AP_Top25
