Poor execution down the stretch cost the No. 19 men's basketball team another resume-building nonconference win.
Clutch play by junior guard Denzel Valentine couldn't save the Spartans (5-3 overall) from falling to Notre Dame (7-1 overall) 79-78 in overtime in the ACC/Big Ten challenge Wednesday night. The Fighting Irish were led by senior guard Jerian Grant, who had 27 points and six assists.
MSU was led by Valentine, who had 19 points and five rebounds, and junior guard Bryn Forbes, who had 18 points on seven-of-seven shooting. Senior forward Branden Dawson looked sharp after a lethargic Orlando Classic performance as he recovered from the flu with 16 points and 18 rebounds.
Dawson hit a jumper to give the Spartans an 11-8 lead entering the first media timeout of the first half.
Head coach Tom Izzo said on Monday sophomore guard Alvin Ellis III would return against Notre Dame, and Ellis did just that 16 minutes in, subbing in for junior guard Bryn Forbes. A few rough possessions on offense allowed Notre Dame to take the lead, 18-16, following an 8-0 run.
A Travis Trice floater in the lane gave MSU a 25-22 lead at the 7:57 mark, but the Fighting Irish responded with a 3-pointer to tie the game once again.
Sloppy perimeter defense helped Notre Dame put together a second 10-0 run, and back-to-back 3-pointers gave them a 33-28 advantage with 4:33 remaining in the half.
Forbes nailed a fadeaway corner 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down to cut the lead to four, 35-31, and snap Notre Dame's 10-0 run with 2:40 on the clock. The Spartans had gone 4:30 minutes without a field goal until Forbes' 3-pointer.
MSU came out strong in the second half, outscoring Notre Dame 9-4 in the early going.
Dawson hit a jumper and picked up two quick rebounds to give him a double-double a minute into the second half.
Forbes nailed a 3-pointer, his fourth of the night, at the 16:42 mark to give MSU a 42-41 lead. Notre Dame called a timeout at the 15:36 mark after Valentine made a layup to push the lead to three.
Dawson exploded for a highlight slam dunk with 11:16 on the clock to give the Spartans a 52-45 lead, spurring another Notre Dame timeout.
Notre Dame found some consistency on offense to trim MSU's lead to 54-53, but Forbes nailed a floater to quiet the crowd and give MSU a three-point cushion with 9:02 on the clock.
Schilling converted a 3-point play a minute later to push the lead back up to six.
Continuing a recent trend, the Spartans couldn't maintain the gas on offense with the game winding down.
A sloppy turnover by the Spartans, their 11th for the game, allowed Grant to score in transition to give Notre Dame a 64-61 lead with 3:59 on the clock. His free throw made it an 11-3 Notre Dame run.
It was the Valentine show during the last two minutes of the game.
It took two minutes for the Spartans to respond, but Valentine finally did with a 3-pointer that bounced high off the rim before falling in at the 2:03 on the clock to tie the game at 64.
A critical defensive error by Schilling let Notre Dame take the lead at the 1:15 mark. Schilling switched off of a hot Grant before Valentine got there for the switch, and Grant calmly made the 3-pointer to take a 67-63 lead.
But Valentine remained clutch, draining a 3-pointer 48 seconds left to tie the game at 67. He played tight defense on the next possession to force a miss by Grant.
Valentine dribbled the ball off of his foot with 2.3 seconds on the clock, setting up a potential game-winning play by Notre Dame. Dawson attempted to pick off a pass to Grant, and Grant found himself with an open lane to the rim.
But Valentine's last clutch play of the second half was the biggest of the game, stripping Grant at the rim to send the game into overtime at 67.
It was more of the same for the Spartans on offense in overtime, being unable to consistently score out of half-court sets.
Down three with 26 seconds remaining, the Spartans inexplicably took 10 seconds to foul Notre Dame on the next possession, losing valuable time for a comeback effort. Valentine drained a meaningless shot at the buzzer to trim the score to one as time expired, 79-78.
