The Spartans (7-3) may have been favored against the in-state foe, but they found themselves in a 40-minute dogfight against the defending Summit League champion Golden Grizzlies (5-5).

“The opening statement might seem a little strange, but … I thought we played awfully well, I really did,” Izzo said. “I think you have to give a lot of credit to Oakland, we did everything we wanted to do.”

After Oakland cut MSU’s lead to two early in the second half, Appling stole an inbound pass and dunked on a breakway. On the next possession, he hit a 3-point shot and Oakland took a timeout. Appling ran around the floor yelling with a big smile on his face, showing the enthusiasm Izzo wanted.

“I’ve been having a lot of fun lately, but coach just wanted me to show a little more emotion, so I just want to dedicate that to him,” Appling said with a smile.

MSU opened up a 10-point lead with 16:31 to play at 49-39, but the Spartans were unable to finish off Oakland.

The Golden Grizzlies fought back behind center Keith Benson – who finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds – and guard Larry Wright who scored a team-high 21 points. Benson averaged 18.2 points and 11.7 rebounds on the season coming into the game.

“We said we’re going to play (against Benson) head up and we tried to beat him to spots and things like that. I thought, for the most part, he was patient. But I thought he made some tough shots.”

Oakland cut MSU’s lead as close as two points down the stretch, but the Spartans were able to make their free throws – something they had struggled with this season – and held on for a one-point win. A halfcourt shot by Oakland cut the lead to one with less than one second to play.

The Spartans were led by Lucas, who scored 25 points and added five assists.

For the game, MSU shot 40.3 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free-throw line. The Spartans also turned the ball over just eight times.

The Golden Grizzlies shot 47.5 percent but only went 11-for-20 from the free-throw line, which caused Oakland head coach Greg Kampe to say he was sick to his stomach after the game.

“We’re a mature team that’s won and we’re ready, this is it, we’re ready, this is the time,” Kampe said. “What can we take away? We take away we blew an opportunity, that’s what we take away.”

The teams got off to a fast start, matching bucket for bucket as the teams each scored seven points in the first two minutes.

While the Spartan offense seemed to be in rhythm, turning it over just five times in the first half, Oakland was able to balance its inside game with its 3-point shooting.

The Golden Grizzlies made five of their first six 3-point attempts and took a 28-25 lead. But MSU finished the first half on a 14-7 run, with scoring from five different players, to take a 39-35 lead at halftime.

The Spartans now will have a week off to rest and take final exams before playing Prairie View A&M on Dec. 18. When asked if he was excited for a week of rest, Lucas, who has been battling fatigue and some injuries, smiled and said he was.

“This team is tired,” Izzo said. “Not that finals are going to be easy, but for the first time in the history of me, we don’t have finals on Friday and we only have a few on Thursday.”