Photo: Nick King ~ USA TODAY NETWORK
EAST LANSING ~ Michigan State entered Sunday’s regular-season finale looking to spoil No. 3 Michigan’s near-perfect conference run, but despite stretches of crisp offense and strong individual performances, the Spartans fell 90–80 in Ann Arbor. MSU trailed just 42–41 at halftime after matching the Wolverines throughout the first 20 minutes, but Michigan’s second-half surge, fueled by sharp perimeter shooting and timely plays, proved decisive as it outscored the Spartans 48–39 after the break.
Senior forward Jaxon Kohler led MSU with 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting and eight rebounds, providing a steady interior presence and lifting the Spartans through several scoring lulls. He buried a key 3-pointer off a Jeremy Fears Jr. assist to trim the deficit in the second half. Fears, MSU’s floor general all season, finished with nine assists in 37 minutes while creating looks at the rim and beyond the arc for Kohler, sophomore guard Kur Teng and senior center Carson Cooper.
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(CONTINUED) Michigan countered every MSU push with shotmaking of its own. Senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg scored a game-high 27 points and hit five 3-pointers, including a deep 32-footer that halted a late MSU run. Senior guard Roddy Gayle Jr. and sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. added key buckets from both the perimeter and in transition, combining to stretch MSU’s defense and control late possessions.
MSU still showed flashes of its high-end potential. Teng knocked down multiple threes to keep the Spartans within striking distance, and Cooper added several dunks, including two alley-oops from Fears that energized the bench. But the Wolverines’ combination of late-game composure and outside shotmaking ultimately swung the outcome. With the loss, MSU finishes the regular season 25–6 overall and 15–5 in Big Ten play as it heads into the conference tournament seeking a more complete 40-minute performance.
