BUFFALO, N.Y. – Senior center Carson Cooper tied his career-high with 20 points as No. 3 seed Michigan State defeated No. 14 seed North Dakota State, 92-67, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday afternoon at KeyBank Center.
Cooper hit 7-of-9 shots from the floor and all six free throws while grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds to lead four players in double figures.
Junior forward Coen Carr scored 17 points and grabbed four rebounds, while senior forward Jaxon Kohler scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds and freshman forward Cam Ward chipped in 13 points. Redshirt sophomore Jeremy Fears Jr. scored seven points and handed out a game-high 11 assists.
Records
Michigan State improves to 26-7, while North Dakota State finishes the season 27-8.
Recap
- Michigan State led by 20 points (45-25) at the break and used an 11-4 run over the opening 3:07 of the second half to take a 27-point lead, 65-29, on a 3-pointer from freshman forward Jordan Scott at 16:53.
- Michigan State jumped out to a 20-point lead at the half, 45-25, with Cooper leading the way with 14 points, while Fears had nine assists.
- After MSU took a 5-4 lead on a 3-pointer from Kohler, North Dakota State jumped ahead 8-5 on a layup from Markhi Strickland at 16:42.
- The Spartans responded with a 9-0 run over 2:52 and took a 14-8 lead on back-to-back baskets from freshman forward Cam Ward, the second a dunk at 13:25.
- That was part of an 18-2 run over 5:15 as a layup from graduate guard Denham Wojick pushed the margin to 13 points, 23-10, at 11:38.
- The Bison cut the lead to seven points, 23-16, after back-to-back 3-pointers, the second from Tay Smith at 10:07.
- MSU used a 12-2 run over 4:32 to take a 35-18 lead on free throws from Cooper with 5:07 to play and two more free throws from Cooper (2:04) gave MSU a 43-23 lead.
- A jumper from junior forward Coen Carr with 48 seconds left sent the Spartans to the break with a 45-25 edge.
- Michigan State outscored the NDSU in the second half, 47-42, after building a 20-point lead at halftime.
Key Stats
- Michigan State’s 92 points tied for the second most this season (114 vs. Cornell on Dec. 29; 92 vs. Toledo on Dec. 16). It also marked the sixth-most points in an NCAA Tournament game by the Spartans.
- MSU shot .589 from the field, its second-best mark of the season (.607 vs. Maryland on Jan. 24).
- Michigan State recorded 26 assists, its most ever in an NCAA Tournament game and the tied for the second most this season (30 vs. Cornell on Dec. 29; 26 vs. Toledo on Dec. 16).
- MSU outrebounded the Bison, 35-23.
- Cooper tied his career high with 20 points; he also had 20 points against Ohio State on Feb. 22.
Notes
- Since the field expanded in 1985, the Spartans are now 27-8 in opening games, including 27-7 in the round of 64.
- Tom Izzo is now 22-5 in the round of 64 and improves to 51-26 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
- MSU improves to 77-37 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
Up Next
Michigan State will face No. 6 seed Louisville (24-10) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday (time, TV network TBA). The Cardinals topped No. 11 seed South Florida in the first round, 83-79.
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