Michigan State basketball suffered an extremely tough loss on Friday night against Gonzaga.
The Spartans led for most of the game and held a double-digit lead in the second half. However, Gonzaga rallied and Jaden Akins’ buzzer beater came up short in a 64-63 Bulldogs’ win.
Michigan State and Gonzaga played a back-and-forth first half, but a late run in the opening frame by the Spartans was the difference. Michigan State ended the half with a pair of buckets to build a 38-31 lead at the break.
The Spartans were able to extend their strong end to the first half into the second half with a quick 7-to-2 run to build a 12-point lead over Gonzaga. The run was led by stiff defense from the Spartans and attacking offense on the other end.
Gonzaga would respond, however, with a big run of their own. The Bulldogs ripped off the next 11 points to trim the Spartans’ lead to only one point. Both teams would battle throughout the second half, and it wasn’t until the final three minutes that Gonzaga would finally take the lead back from the Spartans.
Michigan State had the ball with 15.6 seconds left in the game down by one point and an opportunity to win the game. The play drawn up by Tom Izzo and the Spartans didn’t appear to play out as they’d like, and Akins was left throwing up a three-point shot as time expired — which didn’t fall.
Michigan State was led offensively by Mady Sissoko who finished with 14 points in the game. A.J. Hoggard (12 points), Tyson Walker (12 points) and Malik Hall (11 points) each finished with double-digits in points as well.
Michigan State basketball will return to the court on Tuesday in another big-time non-conference battle against Kentucky. This matchup is part of the annual Champions Classic and will be played in Indianapolis.
Tip off between Michigan State and Kentucky is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN.
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