In danger of dropping three straight, the Spartans (19-4, 10-2 Big Ten) flipped the script from an abysmal first half on defense, using their physical toughness and home crowd to overwhelm the Ducks on both ends and prove they have the resolve and resilience to overcome unfavorable positions. 

With the victory, MSU head coach Tom Izzo tied Bob Knight’s all-time Big Ten wins record (353).

“The first half made it a little tough, but we found a way to fight through it,” Izzo said postgame. “Which says a lot about the character of our guys with some people down.”

Oregon sophomore guard Jackson Shelstad caught fire early, notching 18 first-half points on 7-for-10 shooting. In the second, MSU senior guard Jaden Akins held him without a field goal. Shelstad finished with 22 points. 

18 of Richardson’s 29 points came in the second half when the Spartans needed it most. MSU’s big men were effective late as the Ducks softened up inside, often in the right place at the right time to follow a miss or secure a rebound. 

Michigan State was in a precarious position after a two-game skid in Los Angeles, needing a win at home Saturday to stay on track for the Big Ten title race. The Spartans faltered early but never wavered, bringing the crowd back into the equation in the second half and pulling out a crucial triumph for its championship aspirations. 

The Spartans continue their backloaded schedule after dodging a bullet on Saturday, finishing their two-game homestand against the Indiana Hoosiers, a reeling program soon to be in the market for a new head coach, at Breslin Center on Tuesday, Feb. 11. It will mark the first meeting between the two teams this season. 

MSU plays the final eight games of its regular season against five teams currently ranked inside the AP Top 25, beginning with a trip to play No. 23 Illinois. The Spartans topped the Fighting Illini 80-78 at Breslin on Jan. 19, but Illinois’ projected NBA lottery pick Kasparas Jakucionis only played nine minutes due to foul trouble. 

MSU remains in second place in the Big Ten standings, sitting a half-game behind Purdue (19-5, 11-2). MSU hosts the Boilermakers on Tuesday, Feb. 18. 

Spartans slip, Ducks pounce

Michigan State and Oregon traded early blows during the first six minutes as Breslin’s atmosphere heated up. Then, the energy inside the building came to a halt as the Ducks went on a scoring spree.

Shelstad and forward Nate Bittle swished Oregon’s first two shots, a pair of three-pointers, and quickly erased MSU’s hopes of controlling the opening minutes with a fast 6-0 lead. The Spartans had an answer, though, starting 5-for-7 from the field and drilling three of their first four looks from deep to mount a 17-13 advantage at the first media timeout. 

Oregon scored seven of its first 13 points off three MSU turnovers after the Spartans struggled to take care of the ball in Los Angeles. MSU gave it away six more times in the first half as it slowly lost control. 

The Ducks scored 21 points off of turnovers to MSU’s two in the first half and shot 10-for-19 from three, mounting an impressive 50-36 lead at the halftime buzzer. Shelstad notched 18 points in the opening frame on a 4-for-6 clip from deep.

"(Oregon) did a good job … " Izzo said. “They came in here and punched us right in the mouth, and they made shot after shot after shot.”

Oregon took 13 more shots than MSU did during the opening 20 minutes. 

Richardson, Spartan D resilient in comeback win

With his father’s 2000 MSU championship team in attendance, Richardson took over after halftime, willing MSU back into the game.

The Spartans were in trouble, down 14 after surrendering their most points in a half all season, and their freshman guard was the catalyst in bringing them back to life. Richardson, alongside a suffocating Spartan defense, sparked MSU’s 12-0 run to start the second half, which immediately seemed to reenergize both the team and the Izzone. 

A five-point Oregon lead became nine when an irate Izzo received a technical foul following a blocking violation called against MSU. Still, the Spartans were unshaken, instantly responding with two threes and a dunk to cut the deficit down to a single point. 

MSU took its first lead in almost 20 minutes of play at the 10-minute mark of the second half. From there, the Spartans slowly but surely increased their cushion by continuing to dominate the defensive end of the floor and control the pace offensively. 

The Ducks had no answer for Richardson, who probed their defense for 18 second-half points en route to a career-high performance.

“I’d say that was the best half of basketball this building has seen in many, many years,” Izzo said.