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.

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.

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. The Spartans trailed 43-31 at halftime, with Jeremy Fears Jr. going 0-for-5 from the field. Michigan State shot just 26% from the field and 27% from three-point range while trailing Marquette by nine rebounds.

For a team ranked sixth in the nation, the Spartans are looking confused and scared.

The second half started just as the first ended, with Marquette getting points on a goaltending call before Michigan State followed it up with a missed shot.

Spartans big man Jesse McCullough was able to steal a pass and slam it home on the other end. He followed that up with a big block on the defensive side, potentially solidifying himself as Michigan State's starting center moving forward.

After Marquette pushed its lead to 16 points, things started to change in the Spartans' favor. Michigan State hit five consecutive field goals, something that seemed almost ridiculous given how the team had shot in the first half.

An 11-0 run pulled the Spartans within five points with 12 minutes remaining, turning the game into a much closer contest than Marquette had anticipated after building a nearly 20-point lead.

However, it didn't take long for Michigan State's offensive woes to creep back in. Meanwhile, Marquette got "Da Bomb" hot — my Hot Ones fans will get the reference — hitting three consecutive three-pointers and pushing its lead back to 13.

Fears didn't make his second field goal until the seven-minute mark of the second half. Frustrations had been building all game, and when the referees made a call that Tom Izzo disagreed with, tempers flared. Izzo ripped into the officials over a very questionable call and received a technical foul.

In a game of runs, the Spartans never put together the one they needed to take the lead, as Marquette controlled much of the contest from beginning to end.

Jervis led the Spartans with 19 points, while Scott added 18 and Fears quietly contributed 15.

Michigan State was outrebounded 33-23 and shot 9-for-25 from three-point range, with Jervis leading the way with four three-pointers. Marquette significantly outshot the Spartans, who finished at 39.6% from the field compared to Marquette's 57.4%.

Marquette led for 35:13 of the 40-minute game.

Luckily, this was just an exhibition game. However, Michigan State has now struggled against top competition in its exhibition schedule. It's no time to panic, but the Spartans have plenty to clean up before their first regular-season game against Quinnipiac on November 3.