No. 8 Spartans Finish Strong Again in Conquering of No. 11 Wisconsin

No. 8 Michigan State locked in defensively and proved to be a second-half team once again when it downed No. 11 Wisconsin, 71-62, on Sunday.

Michigan State's Jaden Akins, right, scores against Wisconsin's John Blackwell during the first half on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- No. 8 Michigan State continued its dominant run on Sunday when it defended home court against No. 11 Wisconsin in what was another hard-fought Big Ten showdown.

The game was in the balance with a few minutes to go, but yet again, the Spartans pulled away late, this time to prevail, 71-62.

Michigan State excelled on the glass, grabbing 51 boards, compared to Wisconsin's 40. That effort was led once again by junior forward Jaxon Kohler, who brought down a career-high 16 boards to go along with his 10 points.

Kohler was one of three Spartans to finish in double figures in the scoring column. The others were senior guard Jaden Akins, who finished with 19, and freshman guard Jase Richardson, who posted 11.

Akins also tallied eight rebounds.

The Spartans got off to a rough start, going down 13-4 less than 5 minutes in.

An incredible alley-oop from junior guard Tre Holloman to sophomore forward Coen Carr would give Michigan State the spark it needed, as the Spartans would begin to put together a surge, particularly from Akins, who scored 11 points in less than 2 minutes, 9 of which came from beyond the arc as he drilled three triples. The third would give the Spartans their first lead of the contest at 19-17.

Wisconsin would retake the lead before a 3 from sophomore forward Xavier Booker would put Michigan State back up, 22-21, with less than 10 minutes to go in the half.

Shortly after, Wisconsin would put together a 7-1 run to go up 30-25 with a little more than 4-and-a-half minutes remaining before the break.

But Michigan State answered with its own run, scoring 7 unanswered points, a stretch that was capped off by yet another 3 from Akins. He made a total of four buckets from beyond the arc.

The Badgers would eventually take a 34-32 lead into halftime.

After Wisconsin struck first to open the second half, Michigan State would go on an 8-0 run that included a 3 from Richardson. He would drain another a little while later and was fouled on the attempt but would miss the free throw.

The Spartans would find themselves up 8 with less than 9 minutes remaining, but another run from the Badgers would make it a one-possession game again with just under 7 minutes left.

It remained so until the 3:14 mark when a converted and-1 from Kohler ignited an epic 8-0 run that would make the difference.

The Spartans earn their fifth-straight win and fourth consecutive ranked win.

Michigan State will head back out on the road to face Iowa on Thursday before it returns home for its regular-season finale against No. 15 Michigan next Sunday.

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