CLEVELAND – Michigan State basketball blew past No. 15 seed Bryant to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
No. 2 Michigan State got off to a bit of a sluggish start, falling down 5-0 and scoring just one point in the first three minutes.
Bryant continued to hang around early, even briefly taking a 19-15 lead more than midway through the first half. But the Spartans weren’t rattled.
After an unusual stoppage at the under-8 timeout because Bryant’s Earl Timberlake bled all over the baseline from a cut on his head, Michigan State retook the lead thanks to a 7-point spurt from Coen Carr.
That gave the Spartans a 26-24 lead, and they never looked back. By halftime, the lead had grown to five.
The game’s key sequence came about two minutes into the second half. Bryant had cut the lead to three when Jaden Akins and Jeremy Fears drilled back-to-back triples to put the Spartans up nine.
From there, it was all Michigan State. The lead reached an even 20 with five minutes left to play, and when the final buzzer sounded, the scoreboard read 87-62.
Carr led Michigan State off the bench with 18 points. Jase Richardson scored 15, and Tre Holloman added 14.
The Spartans out-rebounded Bryant 54-29, snatching 21 offensive rebounds.
Now the defending Big Ten regular-season champs turn their sights to a matchup with No. 10 seed New Mexico, with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.
