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We were only a few minutes into this one before it looked like it was going to be a long night as Purdue started the game off on a 9-2 run. They were outhustling Michigan State and were getting easy buckets for Oscar Cluff down low. They took a 13-6 lead heading into the first TV timeout.
Jeremy Fears Jr was the spark MSU needed as he responded with an and-one three from the top of the key. That new found energy was infectious for Coen Carr and Cam Ward who had strong makes at the rim. Michigan State was able to retake the lead with a 10-0 run as they played much better than the first four minutes. Kur Teng hit a couple of jumpers, including one after a fantastic drive and kick from Fears to find Teng in the corner for an open three. MSU held a 24-23 lead with eight minutes left in the first half.
Carr missed a three from both corners as he continues to struggle with his jump shot this season, so it was nice to see him take it upon himself to get into the lane as he threw down a two-handed hammer over the 7’4” big man Daniel Jacobsen. Hey, Coen – more dunks, less threes!
Big men Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler also made it into the first half highlight reel. Cooper had a mean spin move in the post that turned into a right handed tomahawk jam that would’ve made LeBron proud. Coop’s dunk tied the game at 31, and Kohler followed that up with a catch-and-shoot three to tie Purdue at 34. It was a great back and forth battle throughout the first half that found the Boilermakers up 39-36.
Carson Cooper kicked things off for the Spartans with two quick makes in the post as he continued with his improved offensive output after his 20-point career-high game. After a Fears jumper and a three from Jordan Scott, MSU took a 45-44 lead four minutes into the second half.
Michigan State would slowly begin to build on their lead.
MSU had a beautiful possession that would put the ball movement of the Tim Duncan led Spurs to shame where it ended with a wide open corner three for Kur Teng. Teng made big shots when the team needed it, including another three before giving Carr the runaway so Flight 55 could take off for the left-handed windmill to give the Spartans their biggest lead of the night 62-56.
Jeremy Fears would find Cam Ward for two-handed jam, then Jordan Scott was fouled on an impressive offensive rebound where he’d knock down the ensuing free throws. With less than five minutes left, MSU held a 70-64 lead.
It didn’t take long until the Mackey Arena exploded after back-to-back threes by Purdue, one of which came from Braden Smith who had a 5-0 run on his own to make it a 74-72 Michigan State lead. Jaxon Kohler would respond with some fancy footwork to make it a two possession game again, but the Boilermakers wouldn’t go away with a response of their own with 1:30 left.
MSU had a questionable shot clock violation after Tom Izzo called a timeout, but Carson Cooper locked down the ensuing defensive possession for Cam Ward to get fouled after grabbing the rebound. Ward would miss the free throw and it gave Matt Painter 3.4 seconds to get a winning look for Purdue, but Braden Smith would miss the deep three-pointer at the buzzer. As stressful as the rest of the final minute seemed, no points would be scored for either team and Michigan State would go on to escape West Lafayette with a 76-74 victory.
Out of the seven main rotation players, all contributed with at least eight points. Carson Cooper led the way for the Spartans for the second straight game, this time with 15 points and six rebounds. Kur Teng had 13 points off the bench including three long balls and Teng seemed to knock down a shot at the exact time that the needed it. It was a really great game for Kur.
Jeremy Fears Jr had 12 points and six assists while Coen Carr added 11 points and five rebounds. Fears had a few crafty finishes through the lane as he split the Purdue defense and Carr was featured as the high-flying forward that can only dunk like he can. I loved when Teng gave Carr the ball at halfcourt to let him put on a show at the rim.
This was a huge win for Michigan State. At the time of the Wisconsin loss on February 13th, MSU was 1-3 in their past four games. Since then, they’ve responded with three straight wins over UCLA, Ohio State, and now Purdue. They played in one of the toughest environments in the country and came out victorious playing a physical game at their pace. Despite not shooting it well from deep (32%), they still shot 53% from the field as they won the battle inside.
There are three more games left on the schedule with games against Indiana, Rutgers, and Michigan. They’ll play next at Indiana for a Sunday matinee on March 1st.
Go Green.