Michigan State finished down the stretch against Michigan again to beat U-M, 65-60, in Big Ten Tournament play.
Freshman Ignas Brazdeikis was Michigan’s offense early. He scored U-M's first seven points, including a pair of triples, to pace U-M in a slow start.
Michigan sophomore point guard Zavier Simpson went to the bench with his first foul at the 15:32 mark, and MSU took advantage. The Spartans went up 12-7 after a Kyle Ahrens triple, and they were up 17-11 after Cassius Winston added one.
U-M seemed out of sorts offensively and couldn’t hit shots. The Spartans were getting every loose ball and were dominating the glass again early, notching five offensive rebounds among their 12 in the first 12 minutes.
Michigan finally got it going offensively. Junior center Jon Teske scored inside, blocked a shot on the other end that led to a Simpson layup in transition and scored again over MSU’s Nick Ward to put the Wolverines up 21-17.
The United Center crowd, split closely between U-M and MSU fans, started the Let’s Go Blue chant in appreciation. The entire crowd quieted, though, when MSU’s Kyle Ahrens went down with a gruesome ankle injury. He left on a stretcher to applause from fans of both teams.
U-M continued to ramp it up on offense. Junior Isaiah Livers scored five in a row for the Wolverines, including a triple, to push the lead to 26-20, and it was 28-20 after a patented Simpson drive and hook.
The Wolverines had a hard time marking MSU’s Matt McQuaid, however — he hit a couple triples to keep the Spartans close. Brazdeikis, however, gave U-M its biggest lead at 31-23 on his third made triple, and that's how it stood at the half.
U-M shot 45.8 percent in the first half but made only four of 12 triples. The Wolverines held the Spartans to 9-for-28 shooting (32.1 percent).
Brazdeikis led the Wolverines with 12 points, Teske added six and Livers five. Michigan had 10 assists on 11 made buckets.
SECOND HALF
The second half started with a Teske missed triple followed by another McQuaid make, and it was right back to a five-point game. Poole finally answered with a triple off the dribble, however, and Brazdeikis followed with another after a McQuaid miss to push the lead to 11, U-M’s biggest.
It got as high as 13 before MSU made a run. The Spartans cut it to seven on a McQuaid three-point play, making it 41-34 at 14:44.
Poole quieted an MSU with his second triple, a step-back, but Brazdeikis left McQuaid alone in the corner again to make it a six-point game. Winston’ drive, and-one, cut it to 44-41 at 12:00 and brought the MSU fans to life.
Sophomore guard Eli Brooks quieted them with a drive and finish, and it was 46-41 at 11:23 heading into the final 10-minute stretch, which MSU had owned in the first two meetings with the Wolverines.
Brazdeikis left McQuaid again, and his three-pointer from the corner made it 46-44.
MSU had a chance to take the lead, but Winston missed a triple. Teske finished on a pass from Brazdeikis to push the lead back to four points, but the Spartans cut it back to two again on a Tillman finish.
Winston tied it with a crazy finish around Livers, and it was 48-all at 7:00 when U-M started playing one-on-one ball again. Still, U-M got the lead back at 6:10 when Brazdeikis finished on the break. Simpson found Teske over the top for two, and it was back to 52-48 forcing a Michigan State timeout.
MSU cut it to one again before the Wolverines scored four straight. Simpson's drive and finish made it 57-52, but McQuaid made three free throws on a sketch shooting foul call on Poole to cut it to two.
Livers answered with a three, but McQuaid followed with yet another of his own. It was a two-point game at 2:01 when MSU called another timeout.
Poole barely drew iron on a triple, and Tillman tied it inside at 1:15 on the other end. Winston then made a miraculous drive and finish. They got the benefit of the doubt on an out of bounds play that had initially been ruled Michigan ball, made a free throw on the other end, and then got a break when Winston, deliberately fouling Poole before he could shoot a three, didn't get whistled.
MSU closed it out at the free throw line.
Brazdeikis finished with 19 points and Poole 13 for the Wolverines.
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