Michigan State Basketball: Report card for comfortable win over Maryland

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EAST LANSING, MI – JANUARY 21: Kenny Goins #25 of the Michigan State Spartans drives to the basket while defended by Jalen Smith #25 of the Maryland Terrapins in the first half at Breslin Center on January 21, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

Starters: A-

The starters would have gotten an A, and maybe even an A+, had Nick Ward shown up for Monday’s game in East Lansing. He was in foul trouble all night long and finished with just 14 minutes played and a big, fat goose egg in the scoring column.

Ward did have five rebounds, but his four turnovers were further proof that he had one of the worst games of his three-year collegiate career — he handled it well, though.

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Kenny Goins stepped up when Ward was in foul trouble and just flat-out struggling, scoring 14 points with 12 rebounds and playing great defense with three steals and two blocks. He did a great job in just about every aspect of the game and had one of the best outings of his career.

Matt McQuaid continued to be a stingy defender, helping the Spartans shut down the Terrapins with just 34 percent shooting from the floor and he finished with 10 points. He was 4-for-10 from the floor but also had four rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block in 37 minutes. That’s a workhorse type of night.

Freshman Aaron Henry had arguably the best game of his Spartan career, scoring 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting, throwing down a monster dunk in the first half. He added six rebounds and four assists in his third career start and looked like a serviceable starter for the Spartans — a position he will keep if he continues this play in Josh Langford’s absence. The game is slowing down for him, it seems.

Lastly, Cassius Winston kept the Big Ten Player of the Year ball rolling. He didn’t shoot particularly well, just 5-of-13 from the floor, but he finished with a team-high 14 points and seven assists with one turnover. He had some filthy plays as well, slicing through the Maryland defense for easy layups and dishes to open teammates. He’s playing as well as anyone in the country right now, even on off shooting nights.

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