It was just an exhibition game, but there was plenty left on the bone for the Spartans on Tuesday night. At least in the first half, that is.
Michigan State basketball couldn’t overcome a rough first half in a road exhibition loss at UConn on Tuesday, losing by the final score of 76-69. The Spartans were abysmal in the first half, especially on the offensive end, and while they played better in the second half, they were still not good enough to knock off No. 4 UConn.
The first half provided Tom Izzo with plenty of teaching points in the film room tomorrow. Michigan State struggled offensively while also letting the Huskies nearly shoot 50% from the field, resulting in a double-digit deficit at the break. UConn led 44-33 at halftime.
Michigan State was able to cut UConn’s lead within single digits early into the frame, but a 11-0 run halfway through the second half busted this game open in favor of the Huskies. That gave UConn a 19-point lead, which they would ultimately never surrender. The Spartans would press the Huskies from that point forward, but the game never got back within two-possessions.
The Spartans had four different players reach double-digits in points: Jeremy Fears Jr. (14 points), Carson Cooper (12 points), Coen Carr (11 points) and Jaxon Kohler 10 points). Cooper and Kohler also were effective on the boards to record double-doubles in the loss.
Michigan State will now turn its focus to the regular season with their first official game of the 2025-26 season set to take place next week. The Spartans will host Colgate on November 3 at 7 p.m. ET from the Breslin Center as the regular season-opener.
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: MSU basketball struggles in first half, loses at UConn in exhibition finale
Reporting by Robert Bondy, Spartans Wire / Spartans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
