Richardson's Career High Leads No. 9 Spartans in Epic Come-From-Behind Victory Over Oregon
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- On a day when Tom Izzo's 2000 national title team was recognized in front of a packed Breslin Center crowd, the son of one of that squad's members, freshman guard Jase Richardson, fittingly, shined brightest.
Richardson's father, Michigan State legend Jason Richardson, watched as his son scored a career-high 29 points in the Spartans' 86-74 victory over Oregon on Saturday in what was the first start of his career, as he filled in for redshirt freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr., who was out with an illness.
Michigan State overcame a 14-point halftime deficit against a Ducks team that scored 50 points in the first half. The Spartans held them to 24 in the second.
Michigan State outrebounded Oregon, 40-27, an effort led by junior forward Jaxon Kohler, who grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds to add to his 14 points.
An underwhelming first half for the Spartans put them in jeopardy of suffering a third-straight loss despite being back home after a tough West Coast trip.
Immediately, the very same issue that had served as the primary limitation for the Green and White during that trip out west continued to plague Michigan State, as the Spartans committed two of their nine first-half turnovers in the first 3 minutes, including one on their very first possession, which was sandwiched by two Oregon triples.
After starting down 6-0 within the first minute of the contest, Michigan State quickly got into a rhythm. A 3 from Kohler would give the Spartans their first lead of the contest. Oregon sophomore Jackson Shelstad, who led the Ducks with 22 points, would answer with his own bucket from downtown before Richardson knocked down back-to-back triples to give Michigan State a 17-13 lead at the 14:14 mark of the first half.
The Spartans would lead by as many as 5, but a 15-3 run from the Ducks would put them up by 7 with a bit over 7 minutes to play in the half.
Oregon made an incredible 10 3-pointers in the half, half of which were in the final 7 minutes. That, of course, played a large part in its 14-point lead at halftime.
Michigan State would open the half with an epic 12-0 run to make it just a 2-point game.
Shortly after, a converted and-1 from Oregon senior forward Supreme Cook would quiet the surging Spartans for just a moment before Richardson combatted with a 3, making it a one-possession game yet again.
But the Ducks wouldn't be tamed that easily, as they would go on a significant run to hold off Michigan State's comeback attempt, partly thanks to a technical foul called against Izzo. Their 8 unanswered points would put them back up 9 with a little over 13 minutes to play.
The Green and White were resilient, though, as they put together a 17-2 run in a matter of 6 minutes. That would give them a 6-point advantage with less than 8-and-a-half to go.
Michigan State would ultimately win by 12, outscoring the Ducks by 26 in the second half.
The Spartans made four 3-pointers in each half, including three apiece from Richardson and junior guard Tre Holloman, who finished with 13 points and a game-high seven assists.
The Spartans completely changed the narrative of the game with a polar opposite second-half display, cutting their turnovers down to three, holding Oregon to less than half its point total from the first half and outrebounding the visitors by 14 after trailing by one in the department at halftime.
Michigan State remains undefeated at home and improves to 19-4 on the year, with a 10-2 record in conference.
The Spartans will stay put for a meeting with Indiana on Tuesday. Izzo will, ironically, have an opportunity to pass legendary Hoosiers coach Bobby Knight for the most conference wins by a Big Ten head coach.
Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
