Though MSU won by eight, Samford led by 13 early and had the lead with just over four minutes left in the first half. From there, the Spartans took the lead and, though often within single-digits, maintained it until the final whistle. 

Samford entered Tuesday averaging just under 12 made three-pointers per game at a 35.1% clip. The Bulldogs from the Southern Conference began the game predictably. 

Three of the Falcons’ first six shots were from beyond the arc, and Samford senior forward Collin Holloway hit the team’s first three within the first minute of play.

However, Samford's heralded shooting touch vanished during the second half as it finished 9-for-26 from three-point range, slightly better than MSU's 7-for-24 night from outside. 

MSU missed its first nine three-pointers. Junior guard Tre Holloman and Akins combined for six, while senior forward Frankie Fidler missed two. It wasn’t until the 13-minute mark when sophomore forward Xavier Booker, who came off the bench for the second game in a row, made MSU’s first three.

On top of its 0-for-9 start from deep, MSU started 1-for-11 from the field and went on a six-minute field goal drought in the first half. 

Defensively, Samford switched between full-court pressures. Its base look was a diamond (1-3-1), but Bulldogs head coach Bucky McMillan often opted for a 2-3 or 2-1-2 look. The various sets turned MSU over five times early on and the Spartans looked out of sorts. After the game, MSU head coach Tom Izzo called Samford a "tough prep."

"We had a lot of things we hadn’t seen at all, and we saw them tonight," Izzo said.

Through much of the first half, MSU's offense was shaky. The Spartans had difficulty creating and executing sets, but Booker's three around the seven-minute mark of the first half was crucial, shifting the momentum within the building. The next trip down, Booker put back his own miss. His five quick points ignited a fire in MSU's offense and Breslin's atmosphere. 

The Spartans made six straight field goals to tie it at 25-25, including dunks from senior center Szymon Zapala and Akins, who began to heat up as MSU's primary option.

"I felt at the end that it was an incredible team win," Izzo said. "I’m just happy all of our players contributed something."

The Spartans took the lead and didn’t look back. They later went on a 17-2 run, making eight consecutive field goals and 11 of 13 in that span. 

At halftime, Akins led the Spartans with 13 points after missing a few open looks early. Samford junior forward Jaden Brownell led the way in the first half with six points and four rebounds.

Akins' performance was another step toward proving himself as the on-court leader Izzo and his teammates need him to be. The senior guard's career-high 25 points came on 10-for-15 shooting and three triples. Many of those shots came in big moments, like his two threes to extend MSU's five-point lead to 11 deep in the second half. 

MSU's three-point shooting has been subpar through five games. The Spartans' 7-for-24 night won't turn any heads but is a slightly better figure for Izzo and his staff.

Holloman didn't shoot well but impacted the game as a playmaker, finishing with nine of MSU's 21 assists. He often found an open Fidler, who finished with 12 points. The junior guard shot 1-for-9 from the field but led the team in both assists and steals (6).  

Sophomore guard Lukas Walls gave Samford an offensive push that kept it around for so long, particularly in the second half, when he scored eight points in the first eight minutes. Walls finished with 12 points and four assists. 

MSU went to the free-throw line 23 times, converting 20. Samford finished 10-for-14 from the line.

MSU turned the ball over 14 times, a season-high, while Samford gave up 19 turnovers. Sloppy play from Fears and Akins contributed to eight turnovers.

MSU will head to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational to play Colorado on Monday, Nov. 25 at 5 p.m. ESPN2 will air the game.