GREENVILLE, S.C. – Despite a major push late in the second half, Michigan State basketball lost a down-to-the-wire battle against Duke in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The No. 7 seed Spartans battled from behind most of the game, at one point trailing the No. 2 seed Blue Devils by as many as nine points. But with under five minutes to go, a run fueled by Tyson Walker and A.J. Hoggard put Michigan State up by five points.
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Duke battled back, though, using a 15-4 run to take an 80-74 lead at the one-minute mark.
In the end, that lead proved to be insurmountable. Duke hit enough free throws to keep the Spartans at bay, eventually winning by a final score of 85-76.
Sunday’s game proved fitting for the final battle between Tom Izzo and Mike Krzyzewski, especially with the latter retiring at the end of the season.
Gabe Brown led Michigan State with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Marcus Bingham scored 16 and grabbed 10 rebounds. Walker chipped in 13 points and five rebounds off the bench.
Duke will play the winner of No. 3 Texas Tech and No. 11 Notre Dame.
Michigan State finishes the season with a 23-13 record.
