MSU's First-Half Domination Leads to 79-62 Senior Day Victory Over Michigan
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- After just a few short minutes or so, it seemed almost inevitable that a Senior Day victory was in store for Michigan State.
The No. 8 Spartans dominated in the first half of Sunday's regular-season finale against No. 17 Michigan, giving themselves a hefty 22-point halftime lead, a cushion it would need in the second half.
Michigan State ultimately secured the 79-62 win, sweeping its arch-rival while closing the regular season out on a seven-game win streak.
The Spartans were led by three Spartans to score in double figures, most notably junior guard Tre Holloman, who recorded a career-high 20 points. The others were freshman guard Jase Richardson (18) and senior guard Jaden Akins (11).
Michigan State's defense was locked in from the start, forcing five turnovers in the first 3-and-a-half minutes.
That helped the Spartans get out to a hot start offensively, eventually going up 20-6 before the half even reached its midway point. The stretch included four Michigan State triples, three of which came from Akins.
After the first half crossed the 7-minute mark, back-to-back 3-pointers from Holloman and Richardson would propel the Spartans to an 18-point lead, its largest of the game until that point.
Michigan State would put together a late-half run of 7-1, capped off by another triple from Holloman, which gave the Spartans a 24-point advantage.
Michigan State would lead, 50-28, at halftime.
The Spartans made seven 3-pointers in the first half and got up 34 shot attempts, draining 16 of them. Defensively, they forced 11 turnovers, recording a total of seven steals in the half.
Michigan State's energy carried over into the second half, but perhaps it was too much, as they committed five turnovers in the first 4:09 minutes of the half.
After going up 25, their largest lead of the game, the Spartans would allow a 14-0 run from the visitors, half their points in that stretch coming from graduate senior center Vladislav Goldin, who led the Wolverines with a team-high 29 points.
That run would finally end with another 3-pointer from Richardson, which made it a 64-50 contest with less than 9 minutes remaining.
The teams battled down the stretch, but ultimately, the Spartans were able to hold them off.
Despite a little half-court skirmish during Michigan State's special tradition of having its seniors kiss the Spartan logo before exiting the court for the final time, the team and all those in attendance were able to recognize their three seniors for their respective careers.
Those careers aren't finished, of course, as Michigan State will head to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Tournament. The Spartans will have the No. 1 seed and get a double bye before playing in Friday's quarterfinals.
Michigan State concludes the regular season 26-5 with a 17-3 record in conference.
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