Cold Finish Costs Michigan State in Home Loss to Duke
In this story:
EAST LANSING, Mich. — A cold finish offensively did No. 7 Michigan State in against fourth-ranked Duke, as the Spartans dropped their first game of the season on Saturday afternoon, 66-60.
The game was tied 55-55 in the final two minutes, but some fouls on superstar freshman Cameron Boozer and on a three-pointer from Isaiah Evans led to five made free throws, and that gave the Blue Devils enough of an advantage to take on in the Breslin Center.
Michigan State's offense was never in a rhythm much, anyway, particularly inside the paint. Boozer and center Patrick Ngongba made things difficult for MSU's bigs, or anyone, to get any quality looks at the rims. Even with the ones the Spartans did get, they didn't make enough to beat a team of the caliber of Duke.
MSU dropped to 8-1 on the season; the Blue Devils improved to 10-0. The Spartans' next game is at Penn State next Saturday.
First Half
MSU’s defense looked strong in the opening minutes, but really struggled on the offensive end. The Spartans seemed to be getting the looks they wanted, especially with Kur Teng, but the jump shots weren’t going down.
Duke started to find cracks in some kickouts, though, and had already made four three-pointers by the second media timeout. Michigan State hadn’t made a three-pointer to that point, which was a large reason the Spartans were in a five-point hole.
Blue Devils forward Cam Boozer, also didn’t have much going in the early going. He hadn’t scored 12 minutes into the game, though all the attention he seemed to be drawing from Michigan State’s defense is likely a reason Duke had the number of opportunities it had from deep.
Then, the threes started falling for MSU. The Spartans began 0-for-4 from deep, but made six of their last nine in the first half — four of which came from forward Jaxon Kohler — to jump ahead to a 34-31 halftime lead.
Kohler’s 12 points led either side. Guard Jeremy Fears Jr. also had a massive impact on the opening 20 minutes, dishing out eight assists and making two seats. Freshman forward Jordan Scott also made several effort plays, and was plus-8 in 10 minutes of playing time.
Second Half
Physicality reigned during the start of what was set to be a tightly contested end to this one. Duke came out quicker, though, getting Boozer a bit more involved and eventually eclipsed the slim lead MSU began the second half with.
Even though the paint hadn’t been very accessible to Michigan State all game, the threes seemed to keep falling. Scott came up huge, hitting back-to-back threes to mark a quick, individual 6-0 run that put the Spartans ahead by five.
Both teams continued to duke it out (pun intended), as the number of lead changes kept rising, and every bucket feeling even more valuable. Another development was that Boozer picked up his fourth foul with about eight minutes to go, which made Duke put him on the bench.
The Blue Devils were also leaving several points at the charity stripe, which is a reason they weren’t leading for a time. Duke was matching Michigan State’s normally dominant rebounding, though, and used some second-chance points to take the lead with less than three minutes to go. It had also broken out a zone defense, which caused some confusion to a suddenly cold Spartan offense.
Duke was able to draw some critical fouls, and this time they were able to make their free throws. That gave the Blue Devils enough separation to grab a big win in East Lansing.
Keep up with all our content when you follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook, Spartan Nation, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be sure to share your thoughts on MSU's loss to Duke when you join our community group, Go Green Go White, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE. Don't forget to give us a follow on X @MSUSpartansOnSI as well.
A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
Follow jacobcotsonika