In MSU's home opener, the Spartans (0-2) lead Mississippi Valley State (0-3), 48-23.
Scoring came at a high price early. The first basket, a jump hook by guard Miles Bridges, took over three and a half minutes. With 15:18 left in the first half, the score remained tied, 2-2 with MSU 1-of-6 from the field, 0-of-4 from three-point territory.
In front of Hall of Famer, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Bridges blew open the latter 10 minutes, with 21 points, leading all scorers, while efficiently shooting 10-of-11 from the field.
Bridges took the final five minutes to attack the rim. After driving the lane and earning a basket, with a foul, Bridges hustled for his own offensive rebound off his free-throw miss, drove baseline and rose up to the other side, throwing down a right handed haymaker.
Senior guard Eron Harris was able to provide long range assistance, scoring 11 points with three 3-pointers.
MSU as a team shot 63.3 percent from the field and held MVSU to 34.5 percent. With crisp chest passes and quick swing passes, the Spartans assisted 15 times on 19 total field goals. Guard Cassius Winston led the Spartans with six assists.
Head Coach Tom Izzo turned to his four freshmen early. The ensuing minutes saw a layup by forward Nick Ward and three-point basket by guard Joshua Langford.
Out of timeouts, the Spartans took to the skies. Out of the first two media timeouts, the Spartans converted on a lob for a Ward layup, and a two-hand slam by Bridges with guard Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn Jr. on the assist.
A win against the Delta Devils would improve the Spartans' record to 100-18 all-time in home openers, 22-0 for Izzo.
The last time MSU dropped the first two games of the season, it went on to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
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