Michigan State's Fight Not Enough to Take Down No. 1 Kansas as Spartans Struggle From Deep
Michigan State fought to the very end in its battle with No. 1 Kansas in Tuesday's State Farm Champions Classic, but its poor shooting performance ultimately kept the Spartans from pulling off an early-season upset.
Michigan State shot 3-24 from beyond the arc, an alarming statistic, to say the least, and one that a team won't often be able to compensate for against a great team, let alone the best team in the nation.
But the Spartans took the Jayhawks to the wire, continuing to punch when they found themselves staring at multi-possession deficits.
In the end, Kansas came out victorious, holding off the Spartans,77-69.
Michigan State was led by senior forward Frankie Fidler, who finished with a team-high 15 points while also grabbing eight boards. Behind him in the scoring column was junior forward Jaxon Kohler, who recorded a second consecutive double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The story of the first half was missed shots from both sides.
Both Michigan State and Kansas were unable to produce much from range, with Kansas going 2-of-10 from beyond the arc and the Spartans going 1-11, their only 3 of the first half having come from freshman guard Jase Richardson with a second left in the half.
Jayhawks center Hunter Dickinson, a familiar foe of the Spartans, willed Kansas to an early 6-0 lead, all 6 points coming from him.
Michigan State didn't get on the board until nearly 3 minutes in when senior guard Jaden Akins found the bottom of the net on a mid-range jumper.
Another bucket from Dickinson extended the Jayhawks' lead back to 6 shortly after a Michigan State turnover. It was the Spartans' fourth in just 4 minutes.
From there, though, Michigan State would put together an 8-0 run to take its first lead of the contest, all 8 points coming at the free throw line.
The Spartans held Kansas scoreless for almost 6 minutes.
Once the Jayhawks got back on the scoreboard, the game was neck and neck for about 5 minutes. But that would change with roughly 4 and a half minutes remaining before the break, as Dickson drilled Kansas' first triple of the half, a basket that ignited a 5-0 run from the Jayhawks.
Richardson would break the run with a layup, but the Jayhawks continued to score, eventually giving themselves a 10-point lead with just 10 seconds left in the half.
The Spartans were given life going into halftime though, as Richardson drew contact on the aforementioned 3-pointer, making for a 4-point play to trim the margin to 6 at the break.
Kansas led, 30-24 at halftime.
Michigan State came out of the locker room with fight, producing a 4-0 run to start the second half.
The two teams traded baskets for roughly a minute before a 3-pointer from Kansas guard Rylan Griffen extended the Jayhawks' lead to 5.
Michigan State junior guard Tre Holloman and Kohler would then score back-to-back, making it just a 1-point game.
Shortly after, a converted and-1 from Kohler would tie the contest for the first time since the 5:02 mark of the first half.
From there, the Spartans and Jayhawks again traded buckets, this time for roughly a minute and a half, before Kansas produced another brief run, stretching its lead back to 5.
With 9 minutes remaining in regulation, the Spartans found themselves down by just 3. After struggling from deep for yet another half, something would finally give, as Holloman found Kohler up top for a wide-open 3. He drained it to tie the game.
Kansas went back on top with a pair of free throws before once again extending its lead to 5 points with a triple from guard AJ Storr.
Michigan State cut the deficit to 3 twice, both times due to plays from Fidler, who scored on a fast break and made a couple free throws at the line.
But Kansas wouldn't let up, as the Jayhawks stretched the margin to 9 with another 3-pointer from Griffen and 5 straight points from guard Dajuan Harris Jr.
The Spartans continued to battle the rest of the way, putting dents in Kansas' lead with a converted and-1 from Holloman, a fast break score off a turnover from redshirt freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr. and a triple from Fidler.
But none of it was enough, as the scoreboard read 77-69 in the Jayhawks' favor when the clock hit zeros.
Michigan State takes its first loss of the season and will return home looking to get back in the win column when it hosts Bowling Green on Saturday..
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