ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan State rounded out a two-game road trip with a rematch against rival Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday night.
In front a raucous crowd littered with fans from both schools at the Crisler Center, MSU defeated Michigan 73-63, giving the Spartans their first season sweep over their rival since 2019.
“We’re not a perfect team. Although I haven’t seen many that are right now. We did what we had to do,” said MSU head coach Tom Izzo.
Michigan State took command towards the latter stages of the second half, forcing the Wolverines into six turnovers and holding them scoreless for the game’s final seven minutes.
Michigan committed a season-high 22 turnovers. Fifth-year Olivier Nkamhoua recorded eight, while Dug McDaniel had five. MSU capitalized, recording 19 points in transition and 27 points off turnovers.
“I did think Michigan played well, ” Izzo said. “I thought in a lot of ways they played better than us. The turnovers really hurt them.”
The Spartans went into halftime ahead by two after nearly squandering a nine-point lead within a few minutes. An unanswered, seven point solo run from sophomore Dug McDaniel re-ignited Michigan after a lackluster span.
“It seems like when we get a lead, we just don’t have the maturity or the consistency to build on it,” said Izzo.
MSU connected on only two of their 14 three-point attempts, but recorded 40 points in the paint.
17 first-half points from the bench also provided a boost. Freshman Coen Carr led the way with eight points, followed by Tre Holloman, who had six points, two assists and no turnovers in 22 minutes.
“I think the real key for us today was I had made a concerted effort in our pregame talk about our bench has to bring more energy and be more valuable,” said Izzo. “Coen Carr brought a lot of value, Tre [Holloman] brought a lot of value. [Cooper] was pretty good.”
Graduates Tyson Walker and Malik Hall were the only two players to score in double figures for MSU, recording 19 and 18 points, respectively.
“Malik Hall has been not only as steady as you can be, but he had to do a hell of a job defensively,” said Izzo.
With the win, MSU is now 17-9 on the season and 9-6 in conference play. The Spartans are tied for third in the Big Ten with Wisconsin.
“We won a game in a tough environment,” said Izzo. “I wanna thank all of our fans that came down. It’s not easy to win on your rival’s court.”
MSU returns to the Breslin Center on Tuesday night to take on Iowa at 7 p.m.
