Hoosiers Play Spoiler, Stun No. 11 Michigan State, 71-67, at the Breslin

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- On a night where it seemed in the cards that Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was going to clinch the record for most conference wins by a Big Ten head coach, not a whole lot seemed to go the Spartans' way.

Michigan State fell, 71-67, to Indiana, a team that had previously lost five in a row and seven of its last eight.

"[W]e had an opportunity for a special night," Izzo said. "And I don't think the players played very well, and I don't think the coaches coached very well."

The Spartans were limited by turnovers, poor shooting and foul trouble and, as a result, were held under 70 points for the third time in their last four games.

Michigan State had three double-digit scorers on the night -- senior guard Jaden Akins (14), freshman guard Jase Richardson (13), who made his second-straight start, and senior forward Frankie Fidler (12).

Michigan State kicked things off with a 7-0 run to start the contest, a lead that expanded to 10-2 with a triple from Akins.

Indiana would respond with a 6-0 run, but the Spartans combatted it with 10 unanswered points, holding the Hoosiers scoreless for almost 4-and-a-half minutes. That gave them a 20-8 lead, their largest of the contest.

But the visitors broke their scoring silence with an 11-4 run to make it just a 4-point game with just over 6 minutes to go in the half.

Michigan State then pushed the lead back up to 7 with a 3-pointer from sophomore forward Xavier Booker, just the Spartans' second triple of the half. They went 2-12 from deep in those first 20 minutes.

The Hoosiers were relentless, though, climbing all the way back to take their first lead of the contest with just under 2 minutes remaining before the break.

Indiana closed the half on a 9-0 run, giving itself a 32-29 lead at halftime.

Michigan State shot just 32.3% from the field in the first half, a huge testament to its halftime deficit.

Just days after storming back to open the second half in their win against Oregon, the Spartans couldn't find the same success this time around.

After turning the ball over just three times in the first half, Michigan State committed six in the first 8 minutes of the second. Defensively, it didn't have an answer for junior forward Malik Reneau, who scored 9 of his 12 points in the second half and led the game with 12 boards.

Indiana scored the first 6 points of the half, extending its lead to 9, its largest of the contest, which it would reach again down the stretch.

The Spartans kept fighting, but the turnovers and lack of production on the glass allowed the Hoosiers to maintain their lead.

There were instances where Michigan State would cut the deficit down to one that was manageable -- a triple from Akins to make it a 3-point game with 14:15 to go or one from Richardson to make it 4 with just over 7-and-a-half remaining.

But Indiana almost always seemed to have an answer.

That aforementioned 3-pointer from Richardson ignited a 7-2 run by the Spartans, though, which made it just a 2-point game with roughly 5-and-a-half to go.

Shortly after, Indiana would quickly make it a 9-point game again with 3:14 to go, thanks to a scoring surge from Reneau, who could not be contained in the lane.

But the Spartans wouldn't go away.

Late in the game, down 4 with less than a minute remaining, Michigan State had an opportunity to trim Indiana's lead to just a possession, but a critical turnover by Richardson seemingly iced the game for the Hoosiers.

The Spartans would foul, but redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice would miss the one-and-one attempt, giving Michigan State a shot at redemption.

It answered, as a missed 3-point attempt by junior guard Tre Holloman would be rebounded by Akins, who put it back up to make it a 2-point game.

From there, it would become a game of intentional fouls, and the Hoosiers were ultimately able to hold off the resistant Spartans.

The loss gave Michigan State its first one at home this season and now puts it at 19-5 on the year and 10-3 in Big Ten play. The Spartans will look to bounce back when they head to Champaign to take on Illinois on Saturday.

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