Photo: Nick King ~ USA TODAY NETWORK
EAST LANSING, November 7, 2024 ~ In the first ever meeting between Michigan State basketball (2-0) and Niagara (1-1), the Spartans handled the Purple Eagles 96-60 for the second green and white victory of the season in as many games at the Breslin Center Thursday evening.
In a big time bounce back performance, junior forward Jaxon Kohler tallied a double-double, leading his team in points with 20 and rebounds with 13. With the strong outing, the first ever Spartan basketball player from Utah broke his previous career high of 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The theme for the evening for Niagara was three-point shooting, which kept them close until the mid-way point of the second half. They made a total of nine three pointers, shooting 35% from deep range.
While the Purple Eagles opened the game with a 9-2 run, senior guard Jaden Akins brought MSU’s energy up with a thunderous dunk.
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JA JAM
— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) November 8, 2024
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(CONTINUED) The rather slow start developed into a lead that would be unrelenting for the rest of the night, as Akins’ jam was followed up on with highlight plays by junior point guard Tre Holloman and sophomore forward Coen Carr.
All of MSU’s guards brought energy to the game in different ways. Redshirt freshman Jeremy Fears Jr. led the team in assists once again with eight while freshman Jase Richardson continued a strong start to his career with a 12 point performance.
“Jase did some good things,” head coach Tom Izzo told WJR Correspondent Nick Lundberg after the game. “You are going to keep seeing some of the smaller lineups with the other guards especially with Jase playing the way he is.“
Although three point shooting still isn’t quite in rhythm yet for the Spartans, an overall field goal percentage above 50%, a positive turnover ratio, and 56 bench points is a recipe for success against any team.
Michigan State will hit the road next week for a Champions Classic showdown against top ranked Kansas on Tuesday.
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