Spartans Lose Exhibition Match 86-79 to Marquette

Michigan State’s offensive struggles continued in its final exhibition game, as the No. 6 Spartans fell 86-79 to Marquette. After starting slowly and trailing by 12 at halftime, Michigan State battled back with an 11-0 run in the second half but couldn’t overcome a late three-point barrage from the Golden Eagles. Jasiah Jervis led the Spartans with 19 points, while Jordan Scott added 18 and Jeremy Fears Jr. finished with 15. Michigan State closes exhibition play at 1-2, leaving plenty to clean up before its regular-season opener against Quinnipiac on November 3.

The Spartans started with a different-looking first five than in their previous two games. After Bonke’s less-than-enthusiastic showing against UConn, Jesse McCullough earned the starting spot at center. Another change was starting five-star freshman Jasiah Jervis.

Advertisement

Michigan State started 2-for-14 from the field and went on an 0-for-9 stretch. Outside of one terrific three-pointer from Jordan Scott, the team’s slow offense was back again.

Scott, though, was back to his energetic self as well, flying all over the court and throwing his body around while chasing every loose ball. He added a huge block by meeting the ball at its highest point, then drained his second three-pointer of the game on the ensuing possession.

Jervis was the Spartan who finally stopped the team’s ugly field-goal drought by knocking down a three-pointer. He had led Michigan State with two three-pointers against UConn.

Michigan State’s entire first half was shaky. The Spartans reached eight team fouls halfway through the first half, adding to their struggles on both ends of the court.

Advertisement

After the game was stopped because both backboards were slanted, the offenses picked up. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for the Spartans, who trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half.

Michigan State was missing a lot in the opening 20 minutes: smart basketball, good shooting and free throws. It was an all-around bad half of basketball….

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/spartans-lose-exhibition-match-86-194529874.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-10-25 19:45:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.