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EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Malik Hall matched his career high with 24 points and Mady Sissoko matched his career best with 12 rebounds as Michigan State routed Penn State, 92-61, on Thursday night.
Michigan State picked up its fourth straight win and its first Big Ten Conference victory after falling to No. 23 Wisconsin and Nebraska in December.
The Spartans, who improved to 9-5 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten, led by 15 at the break and pushed it to a 27-point lead after Hall hit a jumper with 13:15 left to make it 69-42. The Nittany Lions rallied and cut their deficit to 19 after Qudus Wahab hit the first of two free throws to make it 71-52, but Sissoko and Tyson Walker each scored at the basket to spark a 9-0 run that pushed the lead to 28 points with five minutes left.
Xavier Booker's 3-pointer with 2:16 left made it a 33-point advantage, 90-57.
Michigan State hit 36 of 64 from the field (56.3%) and knocked down 10 of 21 from beyond the 3-point arc while collecting 25 assists and making 13 steals.
Five Michigan State scorers reached double digits. Hall hit 9 of 12 from the field and drained both of his 3-point attempts while collecting four assists and three steals. Tyson Walker was 9 of 14 from the field, including 3 of 4 from distance, while dishing five assists and collecting six steals. Jaden Akins, Hoggard and Tre Holloman each added 10 points.
Kanye Clary led Penn State, which fell to 7-7 overall and 1-2 in the league, with 21 points, hitting 5 of 10 from the floor and 10 of 10 from the line. Nick Kern Jr. added 10 points off the bench. The Nittany Lions collectively hit 20 of 62 from the field (32.3%) and were just 3 of 29 from deep. The closest they got to the Spartans was 18-12 in the first half.
Michigan State travels to play at Northwestern Sunday. Penn State goes home to Pennsylvania to face Michigan Sunday as the home team at the historic Palesatra in Philadelphia. Tipoff is slated for noon on the Big Ten Network.
Game notes: The Nittany Lions shot 81.8 percent (18-22) from the free throw line as a team, their third-highest percentage this season. … Clary posted his eighth 20-plus point scoring outing of the season. … Kern Jr. posted his second double-figure scoring game of his Nittany Lion tenure. He added four boards, a block, and two steals. … Freshman Bragi Gudmundsson scored a career-best four points, shooting 2-for-3 from the field.
PENN ST. (7-7): Hicks 2-6 0-0 5, Wahab 3-3 2-3 8, Baldwin 0-7 2-2 2, Clary 5-10 10-10 21, Johnson 1-7 2-2 5, Kern 4-6 2-3 10, Dunn 2-7 0-0 4, O'Boyle 1-4 0-0 2, Lilley 0-1 0-0 0, Brown 0-7 0-0 0, Mitchell 0-1 0-1 0, Conlan 0-0 0-0 0, Gudmundsson 2-3 0-1 4, Aire 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-62 18-22 61.
MICHIGAN ST. (9-5): Hall 9-12 4-5 24, Sissoko 2-4 1-1 5, Akins 3-8 2-2 10, Hoggard 4-7 0-0 10, Walker 9-14 1-2 22, Holloman 5-7 0-0 10, Carr 1-2 2-2 4, Booker 2-6 0-1 5, Cooper 0-1 0-0 0, Smith 1-2 0-0 2, Izzo 0-1 0-0 0, Sanders 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 36-64 10-13 92.
Halftime--Michigan St. 51-26. 3-Point Goals--Penn St. 3-29 (Clary 1-3, Johnson 1-3, Hicks 1-5, Gudmundsson 0-1, Mitchell 0-1, Baldwin 0-2, O'Boyle 0-2, Dunn 0-5, Brown 0-7), Michigan St. 10-21 (Walker 3-4, Hall 2-2, Hoggard 2-4, Akins 2-5, Booker 1-3, Cooper 0-1, Holloman 0-1, Smith 0-1). Rebounds--Penn St. 32 (Wahab 8), Michigan St. 35 (Sissoko 12). Assists--Penn St. 10 (Clary 5), Michigan St. 25 (Holloman 6). Total Fouls--Penn St. 16, Michigan St. 17. A--14,797