Photo: Kimberly P. Mitchell ~ USA TODAY NETWORK
DETROIT, December 17, 2024 ~ Michigan State basketball (9-2), now ranked #20 in the AP Poll, used an 18 point second-half run to pull away from Oakland basketball 77-58 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit Tuesday evening.
Neither team could take a big lead over each other in the first half, as MSU took a one point advantage into the break. Both senior guard Jaden Akins and sophomore forward Xavier Booker knocked down a pair of threes to boost the Spartans to a slight advantage after 20 minutes of play.
While MSU was blocking a lot of shots at the rim, as senior center Szymon Zapala finished with six, Oakland shot the ball well from the outside to keep themselves in the game for a majority of the night. They buried 11 three-pointers in total.
With the holidays right around the corner, both head coaches decided to bring back their festive sweaters for the in-state matchup.
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'Tis the season pic.twitter.com/0DR2M3e0Hj
— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) December 18, 2024
(CONTINUED) MSU’s junior forward Jaxon Kohler was dominant down low all night long, tallying his fourth double-double of the season, scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
Booker started getting involved in the paint in the second half as well, finishing with a game-high 18 points to go with six rebounds.
“Four offensive rebounds, that has to be a career high for Book,” head coach Tom Izzo told WJR Correspondent Nick Lundberg after the game. “I am happy for him though. Himself, along with our team, have a long way to go. But he is making good progress.”
Akins also continued his high-scoring night into the second half, getting to the rim in the second half to help the green and white pull away in the final 10 minutes. The senior ended his evening with 16 points.
Junior guard and Detroit Lions legend Barry Sanders‘ son, Nick Sanders, recorded his first points of the season in the final minutes of the game.
Michigan State will return to East Lansing this weekend for a test against Florida Atlantic.
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