Tom Izzo talks about MSU’s 80-67 win over rival Michigan
Heading into Tuesday night’s rivalry game, MSU’s seniors hadn’t defeated Michigan at Crisler Center in their careers. That changed, as MSU cruised to an 80-67 victory and the regular season sweep of the Wolverines.
The Spartans kept the same starting lineup for the third straight game, bringing senior guard Travis Trice off the bench. The game got off to a sloppy start, as both teams bobbled and threw the ball away.
MSU took a 13-8 lead at the 11:45 mark, but when a three from Trice ended an 0-for-5 team start from deep, the Spartans began to put on a show. Two more threes from Trice and one from junior guard Bryn Forbes pushed MSU to a 24-10 lead.
As MSU began to distance itself, freshman guard Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn hit a three for the second straight game with the shot-clock expiring.
Trice continued his stellar play, finishing with a shifty drive to the hoop and then feeding senior forward Branden Dawson with back-to-back lobs, and all of a sudden, it was 33-14.
The Spartans began the second half with a 38-23 lead, but U-M freshman guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman opened the half with a bang. He scored his team’s first 10 points and single-handedly willed the Crisler crowd back into the game.
Dawson and sophomore forward Gavin Schilling carried MSU early in the half, with the two combining for MSU’s first eight points of the half. Trice’s fourth three of the game put MSU up 53-37 at the 13:06 mark.
U-M narrowed MSU’s lead to 10 points after redshirt freshman forward Mark Donna knocked down two free throws, but MSU’s Schilling scored four straight on the next possession—making an and-one, missing the free throw, and scoring again following the offensive rebound.
Unfortunately for the Spartans, Schilling picked up his fourth foul of the game moments later and Costello had to play with three.
As the half wore on, U-M’s interior post defense was almost non-existent. Costello worked the lane for a couple wide open scores, and by the 6:34 mark, MSU regained a comfortable 64-47 lead.
Crisler Center began to empty out, but the Wolverines on the floor did all they could to stay in the game. Junior guard Spike Albrecht and sophomore guard/forward Zak Irvin hit threes down the stretch, and at the 2:33 mark, two free throws from freshman guard Aubrey Dawkins cut MSU’s lead to 10. It just wasn't enough.
MSU’s seniors were the stars. Dawson finished with a season-high 23 points and 12 rebounds, good for his eighth double-double in Big Ten play. Trice finished with 22 points and seven assists.
Notables in the crowd included former Wolverines Jordan Morgan, Nik Stauskas, and Glenn Robinson III. Additionally, former Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston was in attendance.
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