The Spartans started slow in both halves, but each time activated the NOS and put it in overdrive. Michigan State ultimately dominated both halves—and the game—despite cold shooting early.
Jeremy Fears Jr. had a career night and recorded a double-double. Jaxon Kohler added another double-double of his own, and Coen Carr threw down yet another monstrous dunk.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLet’s take a look at how the Spartans earned their fifth Big Ten win of the season.
1st Half
Early in the game, the Hoosiers were playing well, but it was truly a tale of how poorly the Spartans—excluding Jeremy Fears Jr.—played. At one point, Indiana led 17–10, and Fears had all 10 of Michigan State’s points.
Fears accounted for 17 of the Spartans’ first 21 points, with Kohler being the only other Spartan to score thanks to a made three-pointer.
Outside of Fears, Michigan State was ice cold from the field. Thirteen minutes into the game, it was still a two-man show as Fears and Kohler combined for all 21 of MSU’s first 21 points. A large part of that was due to Carson Cooper picking up two early fouls. Cooper, who finished the previous game with a team-high and career-high 18 points, was forced to sit for much of the first half. Izzo typically won’t play anyone in the first half after they pick up two early fouls.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFinally, with just five minutes remaining in the half, some Spartans began to emerge from the shadows and get on the scoreboard. Jordan Scott added a third name to the scoring column for MSU with a wide-open three that gave the Spartans their first lead since going up 4–3. Kur Teng followed shortly after, becoming the fourth Spartan to score with a three of his own.
The Spartans went on a 21–5 run behind Fears, Kohler, and Teng, pushing the lead to as much as nine in the first half. Teng finished the half with nine points while shooting 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.
Michigan State took a seven-point lead into halftime after trailing by seven earlier in the half. The Spartans won the rebounding battle in the first half, 17–13, including a 5–1 edge on the offensive glass. Even though the half started out as cold as it’s about to get in Michigan, MSU finished the half with six made threes on 19 attempts. Michigan State also won the turnover battle in the first half, 8–6.
2nd Half
The theme of starting slow continued in the second half, just as it did in the first. The once-commanding Spartan lead that filled the Breslin Center at halftime evaporated in the blink of an eye. Indiana continued to hang around and made a push after nearly every Michigan State miss.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Spartans came out with a new game plan: shoot a lot of threes—an idea that seems all too foreign for this Michigan State team. But that didn’t stop them from attempting more threes in this game than in any other Big Ten contest this season.
Indiana was able to tie the game and even take the lead while Michigan State’s shooting remained ice cold. Despite the struggles, the Spartans stuck around long enough to lull Indiana—and then they attacked. Cam Ward flexed his muscles with a pair of huge and-one finishes. Coen Carr followed with his nightly Superman dunk, soaring through the air once again. It was his 31st dunk of the season, which leads the Big Ten.
That shift sparked a 12–0 run that included a Jordan Scott three—his second of the game—and Fears scoring his first two points of the second half. Michigan State quickly turned a sluggish start into a 12-point lead at 65–53.
At one point in the second half, the Spartans went on a 28–2 run, including a 19–0 stretch, as Michigan State pulled away and never looked back.
Recap
This was the night of Jeremy Fears Jr.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFears finished with a team-high 23 points and added a team-best 10 assists to secure a double-double. Heading into the game, Fears had not made a three-pointer in Big Ten play this season. He knocked down his first against Indiana, and it was just the beginning of a special scoring night.
At one point, Fears was the only Spartan to score for nearly an entire half.
Michigan State started slow in both halves but made quick adjustments each time and eventually found a rhythm. Jaxon Kohler added another double-double, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Kur Teng’s three first-half triples, Jordan Scott’s two timely threes, and Cam Ward’s physical play helped Michigan State stay afloat when it looked like scoring would only come from Fears and Kohler.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Spartans won the rebounding battle by 17 (38–21), narrowly lost the turnover battle (15–14), and shot 31% from beyond the arc, finishing 8-for-26 from three.
Michigan State improves to 15–2 overall and 5–1 in Big Ten play, while Indiana falls to 12–5 and 3–3.
The Spartans are back in action this Saturday at 6 PM EST on the West Coast against Washington.
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