With first place in the Big Ten on the line, the Wolverines came up short in a 75-62 loss to Michigan State on Friday. Michigan fell to 20-6 overall and 12-3 in the Big Ten play with the loss:
With first place in the Big Ten standings on the line, the Michigan Wolverines came up short in a 75-62 loss to the Michigan State Spartans on Friday night in Ann Arbor. Michigan fell to 20-6 overall and 12-3 in the Big Ten play with the loss.
Dusty May — who signed a new multi-year deal with the Wolverines prior to this game — and his team took a 38-34 lead into halftime, but Michigan State forged ahead in the second half and eventually secured a road win to climb atop the conference standings.
It was the first loss for the Wolverines at home this season. Vlad Goldin put up 21 points and five rebounds, while Danny Wolf added 11 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
— Michigan Men’s Basketball (@umichbball) February 22, 2025
FIRST HALF
Michigan State jumped out to an 13-6 lead as the Wolverines struggled to find their footing on the offensive end in the early stages. Nimari Burnett threw down a baseline dunk , but the Spartans immediately answered with an alley-oop slam of their own.
The next four minutes were owned by Michigan as Wolf completely took over, fueling a 7-0 run that included a fall away jumper, a three-pointer and a behind-the-back pass to Roddy Gayle Jr. for a game-tying and-one with 11:02 left in the half.
Following the media timeout, Rubin Jones beat the shot clock buzzer with a floater to put the Wolverines up, 18-16. Michigan held the Spartans scoreless for more than five minutes, going on a 15-0 run to seize momentum and grab a 23-16 lead.
Both teams traded punches throughout the final minutes of the half, but the Wolverines eventually led 38-34 at halftime. Michigan shot 54 percent from the field and totaled 18 points in the paint as Burnett led the way with nine first-half points.
SECOND HALF
The Wolverines held a 42-40 lead after Goldin scored four straight points, but then Michigan State went on a 6-0 run. Jase Richardson made a fast-break layup to put the Spartans up 46-42 and force a timeout with 13:13 remaining in the game.
Coming out of the timeout, Burnett connected on a triple to cut the deficit to 48-47, but Tre Holloman proceeded to knock down three consecutive three-pointers to give Michigan State its largest lead of the game, 57-49.
Michigan continued to struggle offensively, going three minutes without a point as the Spartans grabbed a 62-51 lead. The Wolverines kept fighting though, putting together an 8-0 run to get back within reach as Goldin threw down a dunk.
It appeared Michigan would have a chance to cut into the deficit even further, but Richardson sank a clutch floater to give the Spartans a 66-60 lead with about four minutes remaining. Michigan State went on to win, 75-62.
UP NEXT
The Wolverines will attempt to get back in the win column at Nebraska on Monday night.