Michigan State’s valiant late-game comeback efforts fell short in a 76-73 loss against Minnesota.
The Spartans started the game slow and dug themselves into a hole early. Minnesota led 32-21 at halftime.
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Michigan State outscored the Golden Gophers 52-44 in the second half but the early deficit was too much to overcome.
The Spartans trailed by as much as 16 with only four minutes remaining in the game.
Michigan State went on a 20-6 run late in the game which cut the deficit to two points with 20 seconds remaining. The Spartans tried to play the foul-game, hoping for missed free throws but Minnesota made 3 of 4 free throws to close the game.
The Spartans shot 45% from the field and 38% from three point range while Minnesota shot 48% from the field and 48% from three point range.
Michigan State’s junior forward Coen Carr led the way with 16 points. Freshman forward Jordan Scott followed with 15 points and made 3 of 4 three pointers. Sophomore guard Jeremy Fears Jr. had a lackluster scoring performance, scoring 10 points on 11 shots, although he dished 11 assists.
The Golden Gophers were led by a junior forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, who scored 22 points and made 4 of 8 three pointers. The team’s senior guards also made solid contributions as Cade Tyson scored 17 points and Langston Reynolds scored 14 points.
The Spartans simply did not match Minnesota’s intensity until the final four minutes of the game. Slow starts have contributed to the Spartans last two losses.
The defeat marks two losses in a row and a fall out of Big Ten title contention for the Spartans.