The Spartans played some of their best defensive basketball of the season, aided by sophomore guard Jeremy Fears Jr.’s staunch coverage on 45% three-point shooter Caleb Foster, who was held to 1-for-4 from deep. Duke’s standout freshman forward Cameron Boozer was limited to two points in the first half but exploded in the second — a recurring theme in Saturday afternoon’s contest.

“There's been a lot of games that we’ve played against Duke that we’ve lost in the last three minutes,” Izzo said. “I just didn't think we had it in that little stretch [at the end].”

MSU held a three-point lead at the end of the first half and held all the momentum. The Izzone was the loudest it’s been all season, with plenty of help from Fears pumping up the crowd in big moments.

A raucous environment and aggressive play style will win teams a lot of games, but as the second half progressed, the Blue Devils’ pure talent became too much for MSU to overcome. 

With just over a minute left, Duke slowly came down the court, working the ball inside to Boozer, who drew a foul against senior forward Jaxon Kohler. Boozer hit both of his shots at the line, and MSU was offered to hurry down on offense. 

A few minutes earlier, Duke switched to a zone defense that was tough for MSU to crack. The Spartans hit two field goals in the final five minutes due to the switch, turned the ball over and forced difficult shots. 

As the clock ticked under a minute, Fears drove into the lane and floated a shot that hit the front rim and then the glass. Before the ball came down, MSU fans were already heading for the exits.

On the way back, Boozer walked up the court. Sophomore guard Isaiah Evans zoomed past his defender, Jordan Scott, for an open catch-and-shoot three. Catching up to Evans, Scott got called for a foul, sending Duke to the line for three made free throws, sealing the game for the No. 4 Blue Devils.

These timely mistakes were enough for MSU to suffer its first loss of the season, but it didn’t come without a wide array of positives that will prove helpful as the Spartans round out the non-conference slate. 

“Coop had a monster game as far as a lot of those things, Jackson played pretty well,” Izzo said.  “I think we've got a chance to be really good. It’s just our margin for error is slim.”

Fears played with as much intensity and emotion as he has at any point in his MSU career. The point guard drew fouls and went a perfect 6-for-6 from the line. But his biggest shortcomings on the night were a 0-for-10 mark from the field and several forced shots late in the game. Fears tied his season high with 13 assists, yet with none of his shots falling, it was difficult for MSU to gain traction. Between him and sophomore Kur Teng, the starting guards combined to shoot 0-for-15 from the field for six points.

Senior center Carson Cooper had 16 points and 16 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass. He was followed by Jaxon Kohler with 14 points and seven rebounds, and Coen Carr added 10 points of his own.

To top Duke, MSU needed a strong defense and control of the glass. Saturday was the first time all season the Spartans were out-rebounded and couldn’t find a way to stop Boozer, who scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half.

MSU is off for the week and will look towards the win column again against the 5-3 Toledo Rockets on Dec. 16 at 6:30 p.m. on Peacock.

Facing four ranked non-conference opponents, MSU left 3-1 and proved there is a much higher ceiling for this year’s team than there was before the season started. With a monster Big Ten schedule ahead, the little things will be the most important if a deep run in March is in MSU’s future.