brother
OH,
OH,

EMMA MATI/Daily

Michigan blows opportunity to in-
state rival, loses nail-biter at MSU

E

AST 
LANSING 
— 
Michigan 
State’s 
disdain 
for 
the 
Michigan men’s basketball 
team 
radiated 
through 
Breslin Center. Showers of 
boos greeted the Wolverines 
when they took the floor, and 
ecstasy filled the air when 
they left it. Michigan’s recent 
struggles in East Lansing, 
paired with the downright 
hostility 
of 
the 
Spartan 
crowd, made walking out 
with a win seem increasingly 
improbable.
And after its second half 
comeback fell short, that 
improbability finally turned 
into 
an 
impossibility 
as 
Michigan (9-6 overall, 3-1 Big 
Ten) fell to Michigan State 
(11-4, 3-1), 59-53.
“It was a typical rivalry 
game 
where 
both 
teams 
are battling and trying to 
win 
a 
game,” 
Michigan 
coach Juwan Howard said. 
“Fortunately for them, they 
were playing on their home 
floor for their home fans. It 
was a great atmosphere and 
an 
extremely 
competitive 
game.”
In a grueling first half, both 
sides struggled to separate 
themselves from the other. 
Whether it was the nerves 
that accompany a game of this 
caliber or the uber-energetic 
defenses, quality shots were 
rare occurrences early in the 
game. Junior center Hunter 
Dickinson — the focal point 
of the Wolverine offense — 
exemplified 
the 
offensive 
struggles, scoring just four 

points in the first half. 
In 
the 
midst 
of 
the 
defensive 
battle, 
though, 
Spartan forward Malik Hall 
started to find his groove by 
the end of the half. Tied at 
14 apiece with 4:32 left in the 
half, Hall scored five straight 
points, sending the Izzone 
into a frenzy and forcing 
Michigan to burn a timeout. 
Hall continued to leave his 
fingerprints 
on 
the 
half, 
notching a pair of free throws 
directly before the break to 
give the Spartans a 27-18 lead.
“We don’t win that game 
without 
Malik,” 
Michigan 
State coach Tom Izzo said. “… 
I mean, I told you he’s maybe 
my most versatile player. 
He does so many things. He 
keeps the other guys calm, 
and he can drive and he can 
make some plays.”
Coming out of the break, 
Michigan State continued to 
expand its lead. In the first 
three 
possessions, 
quick 
buckets by the Spartans and 
a shot clock violation against 
the 
Wolverines 
suddenly 
ballooned Michigan State’s 
lead to 14. And yet again, 
Michigan found itself calling 
a timeout to stifle momentum.
But slowly, the Wolverines 
began to claw their way 
back. Timely buckets from 
Dickinson and freshman wing 
Jett Howard kept Michigan 
in the game throughout the 
majority of the second half. 
Down the stretch, that ability 
to avoid a blowout turned into 
the threat of a comeback.
“Second half, we made a 
run,” Juwan said. “We started 
attacking the paint. We didn’t 
settle for a lot of these threes 
and jumpers and things like 

that.”
That 
paint 
attack 
went 
primarily 
through 
Dickinson. 
Bouncing 
back 
from his subpar first-half 
performance, Dickinson went 
for 14 — while shooting 6-for-
10 from the field — in the 
second to finish with a game-
high 18 points.
Any time the Wolverines 
got close, though, Michigan 
State had an answer. After a 
Dickinson free throw cut the 
Spartan lead to five, forward 
Joey 
Hauser 
snagged 
an 
offensive rebound on the next 
possession before putting it 
back up and in with 1:47 left 
to play — forcing yet another 
Wolverine timeout.
“When you’re trying to get 
back in the game, you can’t 
afford to make any mistakes,” 
Dickinson said. “We just had a 
couple too many.”
Those 
mistakes 
showed 
up defensively as the back-
and-forth 
play 
continued 
all the way up to the final 
buzzer. 
Sophomore 
guard 
Kobe 
Bufkin 
came 
alive, 
showcasing his ability to get 
to the line while scoring six 
points in the final 1:30. But 
Michigan couldn’t get stops 
on the other end. Michigan 
State 
was 
undeterred 
by 
Bufkin’s late surge and always 
had an answer — protecting 
its lead in the process.
And as time expired, the 
Wolverines walked off the 
Breslin Center floor in a 
manner that’s becoming all 
too familiar for them in East 
Lansing:
With their heads down and 
the deafening sea of green and 
white celebrating yet another 
win over their in-state rivals.

JACK GLANVILLE
Daily Sports Editor

MICHIGAN STATE 59 | MICHIGAN 53

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