DURHAM, N.C. — After over 13,000 miles on the road in nearly a month, including trips to Hawaii, New York City, and the Bahamas, the MSU men’s basketball team (4-4 overall) almost finished the season’s gauntlet in upset fashion as the unranked Spartans fell to No. 5 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium by a final score of 78-69.
Foul trouble and turnovers once again hindered the Spartans.
After keeping the game tied going into the half, the back-and-forth affair between the Spartans and the Blue Devils would continue in regulation. The Spartans were able to set the pace of play through the first four minutes of the second half, before back-to-back 3-pointers by Duke's junior guard Grayson Allen gave the Blue Devils a 46-44 lead.
A layup by freshman guard Cassius Winston tied the game for MSU momentarily, but Duke went on a lightening-fast 9-0 run over 1:16 minutes to take a 57-48 lead with 12:10 to play. During that span, a shot from fifth-year senior Eron Harris from beyond the arc failed to go in, was tipped in by freshman Nick Ward, but no points were awarded to the Spartans, as a dead ball was called. A layup by sophomore guard Luke Kennard gave Duke another score, leaving Izzo with no choice but to call a timeout to stunt Duke's run.
Two fouls by redshirt-sophomore guard Kenny Goins extended Dukes lead to 11 points. MSU was unable to score a field goal in over three minutes until the drought was ended by a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Matt McQuaid. What seemed like a comeback was briefly thwarted from a 3-point field goal from Duke freshman guard Frank Jackson and a free throw by forward Amile Jefferson, keeping it a 10-point game with nine minutes to play.
The Blue Devils would retain the double-digit lead from that point on until McQuaid hit a 3-pointer making it 77-69 with 20 seconds to play, rendering the Spartans frustrated and starved for a lead change.
By the end of the game, Duke had scored 19 points with the help of Spartan turnovers — MSU had turned the ball over 18 times in total, 10 in the second half, while Duke had nine total and only two in the second half.
Duke was also able to add 11 points from free throws, going 11-of-20 from the free throw line, MSU went 10-of-14 from the free throw line with 16 fouls called on Duke.
Leading the way for MSU's scoring effort was Harris, with 14 points. Freshman forward Miles Bridges was held to less than his average points per game total, finishing the game with 11, the same as Ward, tied for second-most on the team. For Duke, Allen, Kennard and Jefferson all finished with double-digit points, combining for 56 points in total.
The Spartans, having completed
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