Maui wowie, what a game! Michigan State defeates UCLA 75-62 in their final Maui Jim Maui Invitational game. The Spartans pulled away late in the second half. No question that MSU did not meet fan expectations in this particular game and the tournament as a whole.
Here is a quick game recap:
First Half
Michigan State really struggled early on, mostly due to UCLA’s defense. The Bruins played tough defense against the Spartans around the rim. MSU players had extreme difficulty getting into the paint. On the bright side, Marcus Bingham had two stern blocks at the start of the game.
The Bruins held the Spartans captive in terms of pace. UCLA used up all of the shot clock on nearly each and every possession. Furthermore, they focused on transition defense, allowing no easy baskets. MSU struggled at first against this defensive strategy but got back on pace with time. Eventually, the Spartans found their rhythm.
Late in the half, MSU went on a beautiful 10-2 run. Cassius Winston got loose in transition for an off-balance three. He later hit another three to bring it to 24-20. Unfortunately, Michigan State lost a shooter in the corner. On the next play though, Winston got a nice layup off a second chance opportunity.
At the end of the first half, MSU led UCLA 26-23.
Second Half
Tom Izzo changed the starting lineup to start the second half, replacing Aaron Henry with Gabe Brown. Almost immediately, Marcus Bingham blocked his third shot at the rim. On the other end, Gabe Brown is wide open in the corner and wets a three. Then, Rocket Watts played tough defense to force a UCLA shot clock violation. On the next offensive possession, Brown hit yet another three and gave MSU a 36-25 lead.
Michigan State failed to take advantage of UCLA switches but that did not matter. The refs continued to make poor call after poor call but that did not matter. The Spartans were on a mission. Rocket Watts drove to the rim, absorbed contact, and hit the shot.
Winston hit his third three of the game to give MSU a 41-30 lead. Then, Malik Hall had a wonderful couple of possessions. Hall drew a foul for free throws, hit a turnaround elbow jumper, and then drew yet another foul for more free throws on three consecutive possessions.
Rocket Watts hit a smooth step-back and-one shot. With 10 minutes left in the game, MSU pulls away and Winston shows out. Aaron Henry, who was hounded by Izzo all game long, drove and kicked the ball to Tillman for a bucket. UCLA did not give up though, instead they clawed back to single digits, MSU led 61-52.
Malik Hall fouled out of the game with less than five minutes left in the game. I don’t blame Hall though. The refs called fouls on him for simply standing in front of defenders. Finally, Xavier Tillman woke up. Tillman had a humungous block at one end then a nice dunk on the other end.
UCLA was still within striking distance down nine points to MSU. Winston found Tillman for an easy bucket at the rim. Then, Rocket Watts closed out the game for the Spartans. Watts hit an ice-cold three-point shot in transition to put Michigan State out of striking distance. Again, what a game.
Check out some highlights below:
Leaving Maui with another W.
Highlights from today's @MSU_Basketball win over UCLA: pic.twitter.com/mblaC4o91A
— Michigan St. on BTN (@MichiganStOnBTN) November 27, 2019
I’m sure there are critical fans out there but please relax. Remember, it’s just November. Tom Izzo is playing a lot of young guys. It will take time for them to get in the full swing of things. For example, Rocket Watts just put up a career-high 12 points. I imagine his numbers continue to trend upwards.
Spartan’s Basketball is back in action against Duke on Dec. 3 at 9:30 P.M. Michigan State will retire Draymond Green’s jersey at this game. Be sure to tune into ESPN to cheer on the Spartans.
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