How Divine Ugochukwu Powered MSU to Victory
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Michigan State survived a serious upset bid against the Penn State Nittany Lions and emerged victorious, 76-72.
The Spartans battled runs and a suffocating defense from the Nittany Lions to stave off an upset, but the team has a lot of work to do before Big Ten play kicks into high gear. It was by far MSU’s sloppiest game of the season.
One player who had a tremendous game was shooting guard Divine Ugochukwu. Tom Izzo has been looking for an answer in his two-guard spot, and Ugochukwu delivered in a big way.
How did the Miami transfer turn his first Spartan start into a career day? Let’s break down Ugochukwu’s big game that helped MSU escape a tough road environment.
Divine Ugochukwu's big day
Ugochukwu scored a career-high 23 points, connecting on 8-of-10 shots from the floor and hitting all five three-point attempts. He also finished with a rebound, an assist, and three steals.
This is only the second game in which a Spartan has scored 20 or more points, with big man Jaxon Kohler being the other, against Kentucky in the Champions Classic. He did not come to Michigan State as a prolific scorer, but he was the most reliable one on the floor on Saturday.
Ugochukwu got his scoring started in the first half with five quick points to give the Spartans a five-point lead early on. While Penn State battled back several times, Ugochukwu and the Spartans always had an answer.
The sophomore scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half, hitting four big three-pointers as the game went back and forth. He opened up the half with five points to give the Spartans the lead back.
He hit a layup to give MSU a 43-41 lead, scoring the team’s first seven points of the second half. Ugochukwu’s scoring development spiked majorly in this game.
No shot was bigger than his three-pointer late in the game when the Spartans were up by two. He came around the baseline and found himself open on the wing, calmly knocking down the shot to put the Spartans up by five with less than a minute left.
Izzo has sought someone to step up and hold down the starting shooting guard spot, and Ugochukwu may have passed his audition. It’s hard to do better than 23 points and several clutch buckets.
Ugochukwu will look to keep the hot hand going as MSU takes on the Toledo Rockets on Tuesday evening.
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Carter Landis studied journalism at Michigan State University, where I graduated in May of 2022. He is currently a sports reporter for a local television station and is a writer covering the Michigan State Spartans