MSU men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo watches his team put in a defensive shift at the Breslin center on Dec. 30, 2024.
For the first time in 21 years, Michigan State men’s basketball traveled to Los Angeles to face UCLA — and just like that meeting decades ago, the Spartans fell short in a tightly contested battle.
MSU (18-4, 9-2 Big Ten) fell 63-61 to UCLA (17-6, 8-4 Big Ten) after a sluggish first half, despite a late push in the final 10 minutes.
MSU lacked energy early, struggling to generate momentum and offensive rhythm.
After a 12-5 opening run, MSU fell into multiple scoring droughts due to missed shots and turnovers, allowing UCLA to stretch its first-half lead to 34-26 before halftime.
Midway through the half, MSU made just one of its last 11 shots and went over three minutes without a field goal before halftime.
The Spartans also had eight turnovers in the first half, as opposed to UCLA’s two, which helped guard Skyy Clark and center Aday Mara cause many problems for MSU.
Clark led UCLA with 13 first-half points on 3-for-6 shooting, including a perfect 5-for-5 from the line, along with two rebounds and two assists. He dictated the offense, driving to the lane and setting up Mara, who added six points, three rebounds and an assist.
Sophomore forward Xavier Booker led the Spartans at the break, down 35-28, with six points, with redshirt freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr. and senior guard Jaden Akins having combined for 10 points. Junior center Carson Cooper led with five of the team’s 19 rebounds — MSU outrebounded the Bruins by three, grabbing five offensive rebounds and converting them into five second-chance points.
The second half mirrored the first, with MSU trailing by five to nine points throughout. Any Spartan run was quickly answered by UCLA.
MSU failed to capitalize on the bonus, attempting just five free throws after entering it with 12:12 remaining.
The Spartans tied the game at 54 with under eight minutes left, but UCLA went cold, missing nine straight shots. However, the Bruins managed to hold on, finishing just 2-for-14 from the field down the stretch.
With seven seconds left, UCLA’s Eric Dailey Jr. sank a layup to put the Bruins up 63-61. Michigan State had one last chance, but Akins’ three-point attempt at the buzzer missed.
Akins led MSU with 15 points, hitting three three-pointers. Cooper and junior forward Jaxon Kohler combined for 16 of the team’s 45 rebounds, while Fears Jr. dished out a game-high five assists.
MSU will return home to face Oregon on Saturday, Feb. 8, at noon on Fox Sports.
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