EAST LANSING — Nothing came easy for Michigan State basketball. Minnesota made sure of that in their second meeting of the season.
Marcus Bingham Jr. and Tyson Walker were relegated to the bench midway through the second half. The Gophers continued counterpunching any time the ninth-ranked Spartans appeared to be gaining momentum.
That left the game in the hands of A.J. Hoggard, Joey Hauser and Malik Hall. And they delivered.
Hoggard’s drive and dish to Hauser with 0.1 left on the clock delivered a 71-69 escape against the Gophers on Wednesday night, and the Spartans’ ninth straight win in their first game in a week.