Strong Second Half Powers Michigan State to 62-58 Win Over Oklahoma

By Julia Morris

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Michigan State shot 63 percent from the free-throw line during the regular season, the worst percentage of any team in the Big 10 Conference. But with a little more than a minute left in the Spartans’ Sweet 16 matchup against Oklahoma, free throws were not an problem.  The Sooners fouled Michigan State down the stretch, daring the Spartans to make their foul shots - and that is exactly what they did. Travis Trice and Denzel Valentine were a perfect 6-for-6 from the line, which helped Michigan State keep its lead and seal a 62-58 victory over the Sooners.

“Me and Travis realize we’re the free-throw shooters, and we feel the most confident at the line,” Valentine said.  “The team’s going by us.  So if we’re missing free throws, the rest of the guys are going to miss free throws.  We’re confident enough, when we work hard enough on the free throws, to step to the line and knock them down.”

Knocking down those free throws ensured Michigan State would advance to the Elite 8 to face Louisville on Sunday.

Oklahoma in Control Early

Oklahoma scored the first points of the game on a layup by Jordan Woodard and never looked back, staying ahead for the entire first half.  The Sooners were led by Buddy Hield, the Big 12 player of the Year, who had 11 points at the break and finished with a team high 21 on the night. Woodard also had a good first half, finishing with nine points.  He grabbed a defensive rebound and then hit a jumper with 9:47 to play in the first to put Oklahoma up 20-13. 

“I thought Lon’s (Coach Lon Kruger) team played such a good first half, or good first ten minutes,” Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo said.  “They really came at us…they made some good shots.”

And While Woodard and Hield got off to good starts, the Sooners defense as a whole was also impressive - holding Michigan State to 31 percent shooting in the first half.

“I think they did a good job of kind of taking away their first look,” Oklahoma Coach Lon Kruger said.  “I thought we broke up their rhythm a little bit in the first half.”

Michigan State did find some rhythm as time was winding down in the first.  In the final three minutes of the half, the Spartans cut the Sooners’ ten point lead down to four thanks to two big three pointers by Valentine and Bryn Forbes.  Oklahoma led 31-27 at the half.

Michigan State Turns It Around in the Second

Michigan State came out much stronger in the second half, shooting 48 percent and limiting Oklahoma to 30 percent from the field.  

“They definitely stepped it up a lot,” Hield said.  “They took away our flare…they got tough stops when they needed to…they just did a better overall job than us.”

Brandon Dawson helped take away the Sooners' flare by giving Michigan State momentum midway through the second half.  He hit two go ahead baskets in two minutes.  His second one put Michigan State up 46-45 with 7:28 to play.

"Those two shots that I made, they were big," Dawson said.  "When I got the ball, Denzel made a great entry pass.  I looked, and I knew - I saw that the double-team didn't come...So I made my move and made a good shot."

Along with setting up Dawson for a big play, Valentine increased his offensive production in the second half as well, scoring 13 of his 18 points after the break.

“The first half, I felt like it was my first time playing basketball,” Valentine said.  “But I just kind of snapped out of it, and I was like I’m in the Sweet 16 and we’ve got a chance to go to the Final Four.”

With 6:21 left in the game, he hit a three pointer that gave Michigan State a 51-47 lead and sent many of the Spartans’ fans in attendance at the Carrier Dome to their feet. 
 

Shortly after, Trice, who finished the game with a team-high 24 points, followed with a big three of his own that gave the Spartans a 54-49 advantage. 

The Sooners kept battling and the game was close in the final minutes.  Tashawn Thomas, who finished the game with 16 points for the Sooners, made two free throws to cut the lead back to three with a little less than two minutes to play.  The Sooners then tried to catch the Spartans by fouling them down the stretch, but Trice and Valentine did not fold under pressure. 

“I think they’re getting a little confidence,” Izzo said.  “I think maybe we’re doing a better job of keeping it in the right players’ hands.  And our right players are making it.”

Izzo will see if that confidence can stay with his team on Sunday, when he takes his ninth different team to the Elite 8 to face the Louisville Cardinals and Coach Rick Pitino, someone who is also very familiar with tournament success.  The game tips off at the Carrier Dome at 2:20 p.m.