Recap: Dominant second half helps Spartans move on to second round of NCAA Tournament

No. 2 Michigan State used a dominant second half to pull away from No. 15 Bryant, opening their quest for a national title with an 87-62 victory on Friday night.

While they only led, 33-28, after the first half in what looked like an upset alert, the Spartans put up 54 points in an explosive second half to leave no doubt in what a fully-powered offense is capable of. MSU had five scorers in double figures, led by Coen Carr's 18 off the bench, with 15 of those coming in the first half, keeping them in the game.

Jase Richardson led the starters with 15 points and Tre Holloman ended with 14, including making four of the Spartans' 10 3-pointers tonight. After starting 3-for-6 from the line early, Michigan State bounced back to finish 15-for-21 and dominated Bryant on the glass, 54-24, with 21 offensive rebounds.

Michigan State takes on No. 10 New Mexico in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at 8:40 p.m., as the Lobos upset No. 7 Marquette earlier in the day.

Michigan State dominates second half, takes 87-62 victory in NCAA Tournament first round

Timberlake is fouled by Booker as he splits his free throws, then Richardson drives for a layup. A substitution is called with 1:48 remaining as the MSU bench takes the floor. This short tournament run ends for Bryant, but Michigan State moves on to the second round on Sunday.

Spartans take commanding 24-point lead over Bulldogs with just minutes remaining

Bryant isn't done yet, as Cramer drives inside for a loud slam dunk, but Holloman answers back with a deep 3-pointer. Akins fouls Evans on a drive, then after another missed Pinzon three, a Timberlake turnover leads to a blown alley-oop dunk from Carr. But an Akins steal leads to a Spartan dunk, this time from Fears as the Spartans now lead by 19. Fears puts Withers on the line after a foul as he makes both free throws, but Holloman is hot as he hits another 3-pointer. Pinzon cuts inside and hits the layup, then after a couple of misses inside it's Cooper who hits the putback layup. Pinzon hits another jumper, but again MSU answers with another Cooper bucket. The Spartans have dominated the offensive glass tonight, as another offensive rebound leads to Fidler calling glass on a fadeaway jumper. The foot is still on the glass for the Spartans, as Akins steals and slams it home as Bryant calls timeout. (3:10)

MSU begins to pull away, takes 16-point lead with less than eight minutes remaining

Holloman drills the wide-open three after the timeout, then after another Bryant miss, Fears almost gets the layup to go but is fouled. Fears again makes both free throws as Michigan State takes a 13-point lead. That leads gets cut as Pinzon makes a 3-pointer, but Holloman drives and draws the foul on Pinzon for his third foul of the night. Holloman converts both free throws, then Richardson attacks on the fastbreak and takes a foul from Timberlake. Richardson makes both free throws as MSU has shaken off their rough start from the line. Kohler blocks Timberlake's shot out of bounds, then a few misses later Akins pump-fakes and drives for the layup as MSU takes a commanding lead, leading to a timeout. (7:46)

Spartans can't pull away, but still hold 54-46 lead over Bulldogs

Out of the timeout, Timberlake swats Holloman's layup away, then hustles and hits the reverse-layup with the foul by Cooper. Timberlake makes the and-one free throw and now Michigan State leads by just six, then Timberlake strips Carr inside, but can't make the layup inside. Akins misses back-to-back threes, but offensive rebounds leads to Richardson making the wide-open three. Evans again drives baseline for a two-handed jam, then Cooper is called for an offensive foul and sent to the bench after his third foul. Bryant misses another 3-pointer to start the second half 0-for-4, but Richardson has no trouble making his third 3-pointer of the game as the lead extends to double digits. Pinzon spins and leans inside for a tough make, then Fears is fouled by Cramer for his fourth of the game already as Fears makes both free throws. Pinzon can't make the three over Fears, but Jakai Robinson steals it away and lays it in. This time, it's Timberlake who is blocked by Kohler as a Pinzon foul leads to a TV timeout. (11:22)

Spartans, Bulldogs trade buckets as Michigan State holds nine-point lead

Akins misses the three but the Spartans get the offensive rebound, leading to another miss but Carr flies in for the putback slam. Mitchell fights inside for two points, then Cooper grabs his own miss for a layup. Pinzon shakes his defender for a jumpshot, as Cooper draws the foul on Mitchell and a TV timeout is called. (15:24)

Michigan State hits back-to-back threes, lead 42-33 to begin second half

(Start of 2nd Half) Bryant starts the second half with the ball as Pinzon cuts to the hoop for the layup, then Carr is fouled on a dunk attempt. He goes to the line and splits his free throws, then Akins fouls Pinzon on a 3-pointer. Surprisingly, Pinzon missed the first two free throws but makes the third as the Spartans now lead by three. Kohler seals inside and lays it in, then Timberlake loses the ball on a turnover but Withers rejects Kohler at the rim on the other end, leading to a Timberlake layup. A Kohler offensive rebound turns into a Akins 3-pointer. Fears hits a three as well, with Michigan State opening up a nine-point lead. (17:31)

Carr's 15 first-half points helps Spartans take 33-28 halftime lead

Bryant comes out of the timeout right as Timberlake makes the layup, then after Carr misses a point-blank layup Fears commits his second foul on Timberlake. Timberlake goes to the line and misses the first one-and-one free throw, then on the other end Carr gets another offensive rebound and spins for the big putback dunk. Timberlake gets Carr in the air for a layup, then after a steal Bryant can't get the 3-pointer up in time as Michigan State heads to the locker room with a five-point lead. (End of 1st Half)

Spartans cap 10-0 run with Richardson 3-pointer, extend lead to 31-24

After the timeout, Kohler is called for the offensive foul after bumping Timberlake to the hardwood. After a Bryant turnover, Fidler gets his first points of the game off a goaltend. Evans can't hit the jump hook, then Richardson hits the 3-pointer as the Bulldogs call a timeout with Michigan State on a 10-0 run. (2:15)

Carr keeps Spartans at pace with Bulldogs, Michigan State takes 26-24 lead late in first half

Timberlake leaves to the locker room as he has a towel to his head after the inadvertent cut from Cooper, which after review stays as a common foul. A failed lob attempt from Bryant leads to Carr laying in the lob pass from Holloman, but the Bulldogs respond with a jumper from Pinzon as they take lead again. Carr is fouled by Evans but he makes both free throws as the game is tied 21-21 with 5:55 remaining. Fears coughs up the ball for another turnover, leading to a Mitchell 3-pointer, but Carr grabs Akins' missed 3-pointer and slams it home. After a Pinzon missed jumper, the Spartans run the floor as Akins finds Carr for the acrobatic layup, plus the foul. Carr already has 12 points, and make it 13 after the made free throw as Timberlake returns to the game with a bandage on his head. After a kicked ball violation by Bryant, a TV timeout is called. (3:32)

Spartans free throw woes help Bryant take 19-17 lead in first half

Bulldogs try a zone look out of the timeout but Carr is patient and finds the lane for the spinning layup, then after a couple of offensive rebounds from Bryant, Holloman is called for a foul. Fears' lob pass to Carr is too high for another MSU turnover, then Evans powers through Fears on the baseline for the dunk. Fears goes up for a layup and is fouled by Mitchell, as Fears again splits his free throws as the Spartans are now 3-for-6 at the line. Bryant takes the lead as Kvonn Cramer spins for the layup, then his blocked shot on Frankie Fidler leads to a Pinzon 3-pointer. Richardson drives and hits the layup plus the foul, but follows it up with another missed layup. Cramer misses a huge two-handed dunk but possession stays with Bryant, as a miss leads to Cramer fouling Akins for his third foul already. Akins goes to the line for the one-and-one opportunity but he misses again, then Withers blocks an Akins 3-pointer. Cooper fouls Timberlake as he falls to the floor and is bleeding from his forehead, WWE style. A timeout is called to tend to Timberlake and all possible blood on the floor. (7:19)

Spartans, Bulldogs locked in tight game with 12-12 tie midway through first half

After the timeout, Fears heads to the free throw line and splits his shots as MSU ties the game up. Holloman knocks down the 3-pointer, but after a bad pass from Carson Cooper leads to a turnover, Connor Withers hits a three right in Fears' face to tie the game again. Answering back is Coen Carr with a mid-range jumper from the free throw lane, then Rafael Pinzon hits the running floater for another tie. After a travel from Fears, Keyshawn Mitchell is called for a foul while fighting for a rebound as another timeout is called. (11:51)

Bryant starts off hot, Spartans answer but Bulldogs lead 7-6 early

(Start of game) Bryant starts off with a quick five points, as Barry Evans hits the corner three, followed by Earl Timberland making a layup. Timberlake blocks Jaden Akins at the rim but fouls Akins, as the Spartan guard splits his free throws. Akins follows it up with a pull-up 3-pointer, but Timberlake answers back with a tough fadeaway shot. Jaxon Kohler hits a jump hook, then Jeremy Fears attacks the rim in transition and is fouled as we take a TV timeout. (15:35)

Tip-off

Here we go for NCAA Tournament first round action in Cleveland. The Michigan State Spartans are taking on the Bryant Bulldogs, as the Spartans win the tip-off.

Preview

The NCAA Men's Tournament is back, and so is Michigan State, as the quest for the school's third NCAA Championship begins when the No. 2-seeded Spartans take on No. 15 Bryant in the First Round of the South Region.

It's Tom Izzo's 27th straight time bringing MSU to the big dance, as he still looks for that elusive second national title. The Spartans enter the tournament as the No. 2 Seed in the South Region, their highest seeding since 2019 when they reached the Final Four.

Meanwhile, No. 15 Bryant isn't one to sleep on. They won both the American East Conference and the conference tournament this year to punch a ticket to just their second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. The Bulldogs enter the tournament hot, going 9-1 in their last 10 games, compared to the Spartans' 8-2 record.

It's called March Madness for a reason, however. Three of the last four tournaments have featured a No. 15 seed beating a No. 2 seed as an upset, most recently happening in 2023. Izzo also experienced being on the wrong end of an upset when No. 2 MSU was defeated by No. 15 Middle Tennessee State in 2016.

Follow along here for live updates from Detroit News contributor Kameron Goodwill.

South Region

MICHIGAN STATE VS. BRYANT

▶ Tipoff: 10 p.m. Friday, Rocket Arena, Cleveland

▶ Records: Michigan State 27-6, No. 2 seed; Bryant 23-11, No. 15 seed

▶ Line: Michigan State by 17½

▶ TV/radio: TBS/760-AM

▶ Series: First meeting

▶ Next: Winner of the game between No. 7 Marquette (23-10) and No. 10 New Mexico (26-7).