EAST LANSING– Michigan State stampeded to the under-12 timeout with a 45-40 lead, after freshman Jordan Scott made back-to-back three-pointers. The Breslin Center was buzzing, but it ended up being the last time the Spartans had any momentum, as Duke climbed back in crunch time to steal a win on the road.
Blue Devils freshman Cam Boozer, lifted Duke with a personal 5-0 run out of the timeout and Jon Scheyer’s battle tested squad found a way to finish strong en route to a 66-60 win in a tough road environment.
“I thought they had a great gameplan to begin with, they’ve got size, they’re physical and they did a great job protecting the paint,” Scheyer said.
Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr. had a game-high 13 assists, but he was 0-for-10 from the field and missed crucial looks that would’ve given MSU an edge.
Despite the poor shooting performance, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo thought his lead guard had a played well.
“He didn’t shoot it well, but I am so proud, he was so good again, he was asking questions and suggesting things that worked,” Izzo said.
Boozer started the game slow and was held scoreless for the entire first half. The Izzone let him hear it, with multiple defamatory chants hurled his way over the course of the game.
The second half was a different story, the freshman scored 14 of the Blue Devils first 17 points of the half.
However, with seven minutes left, the freshman picked his fourth foul, which led to an extended period on the bench.
At this point the Spartans held a five-point lead. Without Boozer, the Blue Devils switched their defense from man-to-man to a zone that gave the MSU offense fits.
“They haven’t played much of zone all year, give them credit, they went to the zone and we didn’t make plays,” Izzo said.
Spartans forward Jaxon Kohler was one of the few Spartans to find his shooting stroke. The senior found his spot on the wing four times in the first half, which ignited the Spartans to take a three-point lead into halftime.
Senior forward Carson Cooper had the most complete game of his career. He scored a game-high 16 points, held his own guarding Boozer and cleaned up on the glass with 16 rebounds.
Cooper’s alley-oop finish for the Spartans’ first points ignited the veteran for this contest.
“The trend I kind of see with myself, that I analyze is I usually don’t play to the level I want to play if something bad happens early, if I miss a shot or give up a rebound. But when something positive happens early, it really helps me and the team get going,” Cooper said.
Izzo was irked at the Blue Devils activity on the offensive glass, especially Boozer who grabbed a few off of missed free throws.
“Our margin for error is slim, so you can’t miss three free throw cut outs,” Izzo said.
The Spartans have a week off before their first Big Ten road endeavor, as they face Penn State on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 12:00 p.m.
