Michigan State 80-62 Western Michigan (December 30, 2024) Game Recap

EAST LANSING, Mich. — – Jaden Akins scored 11 of his 18 points in the first half, which helped no. 18 Michigan State build a double-digit lead to set up an 80-62 win over Western Michigan on Monday.

The Spartans (11-2) has won six in a row and nine of 10.

The Broncos (3-9) were competitive for stretches of the game before falling behind by double digits midway through the second half.

Michigan State’s Carson Cooper scored a career-high 13 points.

Western Michigan’s Chansey Willis scored 12 points and Max Burton had 10.

The game marked the return of Dwayne Stephens, who was hired by Tom Izzo’s staff in 2022. Stephens was an assistant to the Hall of Fame coach for 19 seasons and played for the Spartans during that late stint. Jud Heathcote.

Takeaways

Western Michigan: In Stephens’ third season, the Broncos can build confidence after starting strong in each half. They led Michigan State 11-5 and scored the first 10 points after halftime.

Michigan State: Cooper and Szymon Zapala (eight points and nine rebounds) made up for Xavier Booker’s lack of production. Booker scored just two points for the second straight game after scoring in double figures in four consecutive games, finishing the run with a career-high 18 against Oakland.

Key moment

Cooper’s alley-oop dunk midway through the second half put the Spartans ahead by eight, and they pulled away for the 18-point victory.

Key state

The Spartans had nearly as many turnovers (11) as field goals in the first half and finished with 17 turnovers, hampering their ability to turn the game into a tie until the final minutes.

Next

Michigan State plays at Ohio State on Friday night. Western Michigan hosts Toledo in its Mid-American Conference opener on Saturday.

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