No. 9 MSU Battles Back Before Coming Up Short in a Thriller, Falls 63-61 to UCLA

No. 9 Michigan State narrowly missed an opportunity to redeem its loss to USC as the Spartans fell, 63-61, to UCLA at Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday, in what was the second game of their West Coast road trip.

The game came down to the very end, but ultimately, UCLA executed better in the final moments, and as a result, Michigan State suffered a second-straight loss for the first time this season.

The story of the game for the Spartans was their alarming 16 turnovers and 37.7 field-goal percentage. Their 61 points marked a new season-low, just three days after scoring a mere 64 against USC.

Michigan State did, however, dominate UCLA on the glass, 45 to 27. Spartan junior center Carson Cooper led that effort with a game-high 9 rebounds to go along with his 6 points.

Senior guard Jaden Akins led the way for Michigan State, posting a game-high 15 points in his 30 minutes on the floor. He was the only Spartan to finish in double figures in scoring.

Michigan State got off to a hot start, as back-to-back triples from redshirt freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr. and Akins would ignite a 12-2 run for the Spartans after UCLA drew first blood with a 3 from sophomore forward Eric Dailey Jr.

Less than 2 minutes later, Spartan sophomore forward Booker would combat three made free throws from UCLA junior forward Skyy Clark with a converted and-1.

But Michigan State would then find itself in a brief slump. The Bruins went on a 10-0 run during a stretch where the Spartans couldn't buy a bucket, going 0-of-7 from the field.

Finally, the Spartans were able to end the run as Booker struck again, draining one from beyond the arc to even the game at 18 apiece with just over 7-and-a-half minutes to go in the half.

But shortly after, UCLA would have arguably its best stretch of the game, putting together a 12-2 run to give itself a 34-26 lead. Michigan State committed four turnovers during the stretch.

Michigan State added just 2 more points before the half came to a close, and UCLA would take a 35-28 lead into the break.

The Spartans immediately started the second half on positive note with a 3-pointer from Akins.

But the Bruins answered with an 11-4 run that was largely due to a scoring surge from their best player, junior forward Tyler Bilodeau, who took over with 6 straight points after scoring just 5 in the first half. UCLA would take an 11-point lead, its largest of the contest, as turnovers continued to plague the Spartans, who committed four in the first 2-and-a-half minutes of the half.

But Michigan State would slowly start to crawl back by way of the charity stripe, as the Spartans eventually went on a 7-2 run that consisted of 5 points from the free-throw line.

A little while later, Michigan State would finally start getting back to its brand of basketball -- rebounding and running the floor -- as it strung together an 8-0 run that began with another triple from Akins. That would tie the game at 54-54 with just over 7 minutes to play.

The two teams battled it out from there, neither squad being able to gain more than a one-possession edge.

It all came down to the final 2 minutes, with the contest deadlocked at 61-61.

Michigan State had an opportunity to go ahead in the final half-minute, but a turnover by junior forward Jaxon Kohler would give the Bruins the ball with less than 22 seconds to go.

They were able to capitalize, as Dailey banked it in from inside the paint, leaving 7.5 seconds for the Spartans to try to win the game.

The ball would find the hands of Akins, Michigan State's leading scorer on the year, but his game-winning attempt from beyond the arc would be no good.

The Spartans now sit at 18-4 on the year, with a 9-2 record in conference. They will have an opportunity to get back on track when they return home for meeting with Oregon on Saturday.

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.