Indianapolis — Michigan State’s Big Ten Tournament started off with a bang.
Facing an Oregon team on an eight-game win streak, first-seeded Michigan State kicked off its Big Ten Tournament with a 74-64 win Friday. In front of a friendly crowd at Indianapolis’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse, four different players scored in double digits as the seventh-ranked Spartans overcame multiple Oregon surges.
BOX SCORE: Michigan State 74, Oregon 64
Michigan State will play the winner of Wisconsin and UCLA at 1 p.m. Saturday (CBS).
Michigan State (27-5) got off to a hot start, scoring the first eight points to take a 10-4 lead at the first media timeout. All five Michigan State starters scored, with mobile guard play creating open mid-range looks. Defensively, the Spartans ground down Oregon in the half court, leaving little room for guard Jackson Shelstad, who struggled in the first half shooting 1-for-4.
Once Oregon (24-9) got the lid off, however, it soon made this quarterfinal a game. A 9-2 run brought the Spartans’ lead down to a single point. A pair of Michigan State turnovers from Tre Holloman — one a travel, one a bad pass, only helped the Ducks’ cause. Spartans coach Tom Izzo pulled Holloman for a sideline discussion as Oregon tied the game at 12:44, sending the junior guard right back into the game a couple of possessions later. Michigan State finished the half with just five turnovers to Oregon’s nine.
Oregon took its first lead, 17-15, at 11:21, but that advantage proved fleeting. An elbow 3 from Jaden Akins took it right back, followed by a finger-roll finish the next possession of a backdoor feed from Jeremy Fears Jr. But Oregon continued to push back, with a Nate Bittle 3 drawing even once more. By 7:35, Oregon took its lead back, 25-24, at the free-throw line.
In the final six minutes of the half, Michigan State started to take over. Aided by the defensive play of center Carson Cooper and the playmaking of Fears, the Spartans outscored Oregon 18-7 to close the half with a 42-32 lead. An 18-9 differential in rebounding played a big part, like when back-to-back offensive rebounds fed a Jase Richardson 3. Cooper factored in heavily, spectators serenading him with a shout of “Coop” as he drew a charge.
Such a strong second half finish gave way to a messy start to the first. Michigan State turned over four of its first five possessions as Oregon brought the game within four points — a travel, offensive foul and bad pass among the culprits. Bittle scored six points off of these, and a transition 3 from Keeshawn Barthelemy cut its lead to 44-43 before Izzo called timeout to regroup.
Out of the break, Michigan State put together a dominant 15-0 run to take over the game. A putback jam from Coen Carr and a layup from Jaxon Kohler brought some rhythm to the offense. Frankie Fidler made an elbow 3.
Carr’s contributions loomed large over this stretch, especially his rebounding. Though his trademark dunks didn’t fall — including two attempts from distance and through bodies — his eight rebounds brought composure to Michigan State while tying a career high.
As Richardson nailed a 3 to take a 57-43 lead at 10:47, Kohler drew a foul to keep possession. Richardson got the ball again and hit a mid-range off one leg as part of his 17 points.
Oregon chipped back at the big lead from the free throw line, but Michigan State remained in control down the stretch. It continued to grind the Ducks down in the halfcourt.
Shelstad scored just his second bucket of the game at 5:07, a sign of a difficult game for the Oregon difference-maker. Bittle drew an and-one on the next possession to cut the lead to single digits, part of his game-high 22-points.
Every bucket came with an answer as Michigan State staved off the comeback. Carr and Richardson combined for a highlight as Richardson handed the ball off to Carr for a dunk. Though Carr missed the and-one free throw — part of a rough 17-for-29 team showing from the free-throw line — the play was yet another response as Oregon tried to muster its comeback.
With less than a minute to play, Richardson went down hard after getting kneed in the right ear by a jumping TJ Bamba. The foul was upgraded to a flagrant-one foul upon review. Richardson split his free throws before subbing out, Michigan State navigating Oregon’s trap and icing the game at the free-throw line.
@ConnorEaregood
