As Michigan State basketball’s Jaden Akins crosses 1K point mark, he leads team by example

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EAST LANSING — Jaden Akins stepped to the stripe, hoping to finish off Michigan State basketball’s game Sunday at Northwestern with a win.

A 23-point lead had been trimmed to single digits with under a minute to play. The senior made three trips to the line, calmly swishing each of his six free throws.

Ballgame.

In the days leading up to the 12th-ranked Spartans’ eventual 78-68 victory over the Wildcats, Akins heard he was approaching the 1,000-point mark. He didn’t care.

“Somebody told me I was kind of close by,” Akins said outside the locker room at Welsh-Ryan Arena. “I told him, ‘Don’t tell me how far I’m away.”

Akins entered the game needing 10 points to become the 57th player in MSU history to reach a grand. The two he hit with 34.6 ticks to play hit the milestone mark, the final four ensured his primary focus — a ninth straight victory.

Michigan State Spartans guard Jaden Akins (3) reacts after scoring against the Washington Huskies at Breslin Center in East Lansing on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025.

The Farmington native called reaching the individual mark “a blessing” but preferred to focus on keeping the Spartans on track to chase their higher goals he helped set entering his final season.

“I just want my teammates to know I never get too high, never get too low” Akins, who finished with 14 points despite going 3-for-11 from the field, said after practice Monday. “In the midst of the games, in the moments, sometimes we’re doing a lot of good things and it’s easy to kind of think, ‘Oh, we’re just good for the rest of the game,’ even with a lot of game left. And then when you’re down, you can’t think you’re gonna be down ever, you gotta think can get out of it. So I feel just staying calm and level-headed helps a lot.”

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MSU (14-2, 5-0) returns home atop the Big Ten standings as it prepares to host Penn State (12-5, 2-4) on Wednesday. Tipoff is 7:30…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-state-basketballs-jaden-akins-110405121.html

Author : Detroit Free Press

Publish date : 2025-01-14 11:04:00

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