The No. 3 Michigan Wolverines defeated the No. 7 Michigan State Spartans 83-71 on Friday at the Breslin Center. Michigan led 42-26 at halftime before fighting off a furious comeback attempt to move to 20-1 and 10-1 in Big Ten play.
Here’s how the Wolverines earned their first win in East Lansing since 2018.
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FIRST HALF
Michigan got off to a great start, taking a 7-2 lead into the first media timeout after Aday Mara and Elliot Cadeau scored buckets around the rim, and Yaxel Lendeborg hit a 3-pointer with 16:43 left in the first half.
After the timeout, Lendeborg grabbed a rebound and found Cadeau for a three-pointer that extended the lead to 10-2. Mara continued to use his size and strength to dominate Michigan State, scoring four straight points to take a 15-5 lead.
Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears scored a layup to cut the deficit to single digits, but Michigan responded at the other end when Trey McKenney hit a 3-pointer and Morez Johnson Jr. completed a layup to extend the lead to 20-7.
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The Spartans cut the deficit to 22-17 midway through the half, but the Wolverines completely dominated the next few minutes as Johnson Jr. came up with a block, followed by Mara finding him running down the court for a fast-break dunk.
Later in the half, the referees called out a foul on Lendeborg because he was stopped on an offensive rebound attempt. Lendeborg made both free throws and converted an and-1 on the next possession to extend Michigan’s lead to 34-21.
Moments later, McKenney continued his impressive performance by hitting a three-pointer to increase the lead to 37-21. The Wolverines went on a 20-7 run in the final minutes of the first half and eventually took a 42-26 lead into the locker room.
Michigan was the superior team in the first half, going 5 of 12 from three-point range and committing four turnovers. The Spartans shot a dismal 7 of 26 from the field and 2 of 12 from beyond the arc while committing 11 turnovers.
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HALFTIME: MICHIGAN 42, MICHIGAN STATE 26
SECOND HALF
Michigan State flipped the script in the early stages of the second half, going on a 9-0 run to quickly get back into the game, 46-41. The Wolverines committed four turnovers in the first four minutes of the half.
With the shot clock running down, McKenney hit a jumper to calm the crowd and extend the lead to 48-41. Michigan State had a chance to get within three points, but Mara had back-to-back blocks to keep a 50-45 lead intact.
Lendeborg scored a layup and LJ Cason hit a 3-pointer to put Michigan up 55-50, but the Spartans regained momentum by scoring five straight points, including Jaxon Kohler hitting a game-tying 3-pointer with 7:57 left.
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Michigan State took the lead when Fears got a steal and scored a go-ahead layup. Lendeborg made two free throws to tie it again, then Will Tschetter hit a three-pointer to regain the lead, 60-59.
The next few minutes were controlled by Michigan as Johnson threw down a thunderous dunk and Cadeau hit a jumper and a 3-pointer to take a 69-63 lead. After a timeout, Lendeborg completed a layup to take a 71-65 lead with 2:32 left.
Michigan continued to take control when Johnson scored a left-handed layup in traffic to extend the lead to 73-65 with just over a minute left. The Wolverines made several free throws that sealed the game and took a big road win.
Despite blowing a big lead, Dusty May’s team earned a program-defining victory in a difficult environment. Lendeborg led the charge with 26 points and a team-high 12 rebounds, while Cadeau racked up 17 points and six assists.
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FINAL SCORE: MICHIGAN 83, MICHIGAN STATE 71
MICHIGAN STATISTICS LEADERS
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F Yaxel Lendeborg: 26 points (team-high), 12 rebounds
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G Elliot Cadeau: 17 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds
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F Morez Johnson Jr: 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks
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G Trey McKenney: 10 points
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C Aday Mara: 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks
STATE OF MICHIGAN STATISTICS LEADERS
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G Jeremy Fears: 31 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds
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F Jaxon Kohler: 12 points, 5 rebounds
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F Coen Carr: 10 points, 7 rebounds
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F Jordan Scott: 10 points, 4 rebounds
UP NEXT
The Wolverines will look to secure a seventh straight victory when the Penn State Nittany Lions come to town Thursday at 6:30 pm on FS1.