Photo: Junfu Han ~ USA TODAY NETWORK
CLEVELAND, March 24, 2025 ~ No. 2 seed Michigan State basketball overcame a slow start in the first half to knock off No. 10 seed New Mexico 71-63 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Sunday night in Cleveland.
Senior guard Jaden Akins led all Spartans with 16 points during an efficient 7-11 shooting performance. Both of his 3-pointers came in clutch moments, along with a huge block, to boost the green and white in the final 15 minutes.
Junior point guard Tre Holloman followed with 14 points of his own and four assists. Senior forward Frankie Fidler also reached double digits in the scoring column with 10. His defense came up big in the second half, limiting senior forward Mustapha Amzil to just two points in the final 20 minutes after scoring 12 in the first half.
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HOW SWEET IT IS 🥳 pic.twitter.com/7jCfrt4d0T
— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) March 24, 2025
(CONTINUED) MSU was successful in the painted area, tallying seven blocks and finishing with a 34-28 rebounding advantage. Michigan State recorded 11 total offensive rebounds, scoring eight second chance points.
“At the end of the first half I thought we wore them down a little bit,” head coach Tom Izzo told WJR Correspondent Nick Lundberg after the game. “I had three different players ask to come out of the game. That was the greatest thing for me because that means they are spilling it. That is what I asked them to do, go all out.”
MSU will hit the road this week to Atlanta for Izzo’s 16th Sweet 16 appearance. The team will hit the hardwood Friday, March 28 against No. 6 seed Ole Miss. Coverage on 760 WJR is set for 6:00.
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