Shooting woes and Johni Broome stop MSU one game short of the Final Four
Szymon Zapala returned to the starting lineup for MSU but Jaxon Kohler found himself guarding Auburn’s Johni Broome to start the game. Auburn seemed determined to take advantage of that matchup and, despite Kohler making him work for each one, Broome came through getting the Tigers’ first three buckets.
The Spartans were initially able to keep pace though. Kohler got them started with a corner three and then Jase Richardson got a traditional three point play. It was 6-6 after Broome’s initial barrage.
A Coen Carr backdoor slam put the Spartans up 8-6 but then the wheels came off for MSU. A 17-0 Auburn run was aided by three Michigan State turnovers and extremely cold shooting. On consecutive trips down the floor, MSU had five offensive rebounds but no buckets. Broome responded for Auburn with another bucket on a spin around Kohler and then followed that with a three pointer. Tom Izzo called a timeout with 10:27 to go with MSU facing their biggest deficit of the tournament at 23-8.
Frankie Fidler was able to spark the Spartans after the timeout. He ended the Auburn run and started one for MSU by getting fouled and hitting two free throws. Later, Frankie ball-faked, fired a three, and hit. After Auburn’s first turnover, Jase Richardson got into the lane and hit over Broome to cut Auburn’s lead to 23-15. The Spartans could have been even closer but Fidler missed his second three point attempt and Zapala was unable to convert an offensive rebound into a putback.
It remained an eight point Auburn lead at the under four minute break. Broome converted again, over Cooper this time, to put Auburn back up by 10. Great Auburn ball movement and cutting led to a dunk for Dylan Caldwell but Jase Ricahrdson was able to answer both of those buckets for MSU. His drive late in the shot clock bailed the Spartans out on one possession. A little later, Richardson took a steal, went end to end, got fouled, and hit the free throws to make it 27-19.
Another Kohler three got MSU within five and it seemed like the Spartans were poised to make a run to end the half. But Auburn closed it out with a 6-2 run to go into the break up nine, 33-24.
As the 24 points would indicate, it was a horrible first half offensively for Michigan State. MSU shot 3-13 on three pointers and 8-30 overall. Auburn matched MSU’s futility from three, also going 3-13 but the Tigers shot 44% overall.
Broome already had a double-double at the break with 17 points and 11 rebounds, despite Michigan State double teaming him a little more often later in the half. Richardson had nine at the break for the Spartans on 3-4 shooting and Kohler’s two threes gave him six points. However, there wasn’t much help from any other Spartans. Jaden Akins, Tre Holloman, and Jeremy Fears went a combined 1-16 from the floor. Many of the misses were good looks that the Spartans just couldn’t get to fall.
Michigan State committed five turnovers in the half but Auburn only had two. Each team pulled down 20 rebounds but Auburn had a decided 18-10 edge in points in the paint.
Michigan State went right to Ricahrdson to start the second but he couldn’t get a runner to fall. On defense, MSU had Zapala on Broome to start the half. Zapala also got the Spartans’ scoring started, barely getting a lob from Fears to fall.
Auburn responded with a three from Denver Jones and went back up nine though. Kohler over Broome had MSU back within seven and then Fears drew a goaltend on a fast break drive to cut it to five. Auburn would respond again though with another three, this time from Chad Baker-Mazara.
The lead stayed between eight and ten points until a Broome screen, slip, and dunk put Auburn up 47-36. The lead grew to 12 when great perimeter ball movement from the Tigers led to a corner three from Tahaad Pettiford that put Auburn up 50-38 with 12:03 to go.
Richardson got the next bucket off the drive for MSU to cut it to ten. Then Fidler tried to get it to eight with his drive. It didn’t fall but, in what could have been a key point in the game, Broome went down for Auburn. It looked like he hyperextended his right elbow and left knee on the same play going for the rebound. Broome stayed on the floor for a while until play was stopped. Auburn’s best player headed to the locker room and appeared to say “I’m done” as he passed the Tigers’ bench.
Auburn responded to adversity again though, with a Chaney Johnson fast break layup after Richardson was rejected at the rim to put Auburn up 52-40. With Broome out, Michigan State could get no closer than eight. Two Holloman free throws cut it to 54-46 before Auburn responded again with another Baker-Mazara three.
Two Carr free throws got it back under then for MSU before a Holloman three that would have cut the lead to six went halfway down and rattled out.
Despite his apparent diagnosis while leaving the floor, Broome was not done. He returned when Carr was shooting his free throws and then drilled a three to put Auburn up 12 with 4:34 to go.
If Auburn’s 17-0 first half run was the key stretch in the game, Broome’s comeback three had to be the key moment.
MSU was not about to quit though and a three from Akins got the Spartans back within nine at 64-55 with 2:15 to go. Another three from Kohler cut it to 65-58 with 1:40 to go but Auburn had an answer again. Johson somehow got through three Spartan defenders to lay it in to Auburn back up nine.
The Spartans fought until the end and a couple of late threes from Akins made the final 70-64 to end MSU’s season and send Auburn to the Final Four.
Akins finished with 15 in his last game in a Spartan uniform. Jaxon Kohler led MSU with 17 points and 11 rebounds. After keeping Michigan State within striking distance in the first half, Richardson only scored two after the break to finish with 11 points. Fidler had nine for MSU off the bench.
Broome finished with 25 and 14 for Auburn while Pettiford was the only other Tiger in double figures with 10.
Despite Broome’s huge game and, at times, some nice offensive execution from Auburn, it seemed like Michigan State played well enough to win at times. They just couldn’t hit enough shots, finishing just 22-64 (34%). The Spartans 7-23 three point shooting was actually better than Auburn’s 7-25 but MSU obviously needed a better result here. Several open looks did not fall and at least a couple were halfway down before popping out.
Certainly a frustrating way to end an otherwise fabulous season that perhaps not many saw coming. Even though they fell just short of Izzo’s ninth final four, hopefully this Spartan team will be remembered fondly for a great run down the stretch that featured multiple second half comebacks. Their connectivity made this team really fun to watch and it’s a shame we won’t get to see them in a Final Four.