Spartans Make a Statement With 72-56 Victory Over Colorado in Opening Round of Maui Invitational
Michigan State came ready to play on Monday, as the Spartans vanquished Colorado, 72-56, in the first round of the Maui Invitational.
It was a strong defensive effort from the Spartans, who held the Buffaloes to just 37% shooting from the field, while forcing 12 turnovers, eight of which were in the second half.
Meanwhile, Michigan State's offense was able to thrive as well, despite yet another poor shooting performance from beyond the arc. The Spartans went 2-for-21 from distance.
They also dominated Colorado on the glass, out-rebounding the Buffaloes, 42-29.
Michigan State freshman guard Jase Richardson led the Spartans in scoring with 13 points, going an efficient 6-of-8 from the field. Senior forward Frankie Fidler finished second with 9 points.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo went with his same starting five as he did in Michigan State's previous two games -- redshirt freshman point guard Jeremy Fears Jr., senior guard Jaden Akins, Fidler, junior forward Jaxon Kohler and senior center Szymon Zapala.
Both teams started out hot, as both the Spartans and Buffaloes made their first three buckets. Colorado was finding immediate success from deep, making a 3-pointer on each of its first two possessions.
The Spartans, meanwhile, as has been the case so far this season, could not find a rhythm from distance, going 0-of-9 in the first half.
Neither team could gain more than a one-possession lead until a mid-range jumper from Akins gave Michigan State a 4-point advantage with nearly 8 minutes remaining in the half. Those would be the third and fourth points of a 13-2 run from the Spartans, which was highlighted by a converted and-1 from junior point guard Tre Holloman and two alley-oops to bookend the run -- one from Holloman to sophomore forward Coen Carr and another from Fears to sophomore forward Xavier Booker, respectively.
Michigan State concluded the first half on a 17-4 run and led, 38-25. Richardson led all scorers at the break with 8 points.
The Spartans got off to a shaky start to open the second half, missing three triples in the first 4 minutes while turning the ball over twice. Fortunately for Michigan State, the Buffaloes struggled to take care of the ball as well, as they committed four turnovers in that span, matching their total for the first half.
But Colorado was successful from deep, opening the half with back-to-back 3-pointers. The second trimmed the deficit to just 7 less than 2 minutes in.
After starting 0-of-14 from range, Richardson finally broke the silence, draining a 3 with 13:39 to go, giving Michigan State an 11-point lead.
A bit over a minute later, Fidler would find the bottom of the net from the corner, giving the Spartans their second made triple and largest lead of the game until that point, 15 points.
Michigan State's lead grew to as many as 20 points at one point.
The Spartans advance to take on Memphis at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. The Tigers upset No. 2 UConn prior to the Spartans' win on Monday.
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