The No. 19/20 Michigan State Spartans had an up and down start Tuesday night in Detroit against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. A strong second half kept MSU perfect in its series against the in-state foe with a 77-58 victory.

The holiday spirit was apparent on the sidelines and in a cross-bench manner as Oakland head coach Greg Kampe and MSU head coach Tom Izzo wore matching Grinch sweaters as well.

An Oakland zone seemed to keep MSU off balance in the first half at Little Caesar's Arena. At times the Spartans were a bit indecisive, which led to some questionable shot selection. Early on, MSU controlled the paint, leading to an early 16-10 lead behind some great offensive rebounding from Jaxon Kohler. Kohler came out the gates ready to play in this game on both ends of the floor as he rebounded with grown man strength and protected the rim like his life depended on it.

Coming into this game, the Golden Grizzlies were amongst the worst shooting teams in college basketball, ranking 362nd in the country while shooting 25% from 3-point range as a team. That was not the case in the first half as Oakland shot a blistering 43% from beyond the arc, hitting six of them in total. Many of the Grizzlies treys were deep and contested.

Senior guard DQ Cole led the 3-point charge in the first half as he made five-for-7 from deep. Cole scored 15 of his team's 30 first half points.

The Spartans were able to keep pace with the Grizzlies behind some great play from their frontcourt. Xavier Booker chipped in seven points and three rebounds in the first half, including two-for-2 from 3-point range. Michigan State was led by Kohler who had eight points, six rebounds, and two blocks in the half. The Spartans held a narrow halftime lead by the score of 31-30 heading into the locker room.

Michigan State came out in the second half with a response to Oakland's hot shooting as it opened the half on a 10-1 run. The advantage was a combination of tenacious defense and some more of Kohler owning the painted area.

Just as the Spartans were making a bit of a run, the Golden Grizzlies refused to go away and made a run of their own to cut the lead to four points with just over 12 minutes left in the second half. MSU had some clunky front court lineups in that Oakland comeback which seemed to cause issues on both ends of the floor, but Izzo soon went back to Kohler and Booker. The duo who carried the Spartans in the first half were able to push their team's lead back to seven points at the under 12.

After the frontcourt carried MSU for most of the first 10 minutes of the second half, Jaden Akins put on a clinic on both ends of the floor. On the defensive end, Akins took it personally and was on Cole like white on rice, and those stops led to Akins attacking the rim relentlessly on the other end. A transition layup by Akins with nine minutes left in the second half extended the Spartans lead to 54-42 and forced a timeout from coach Kampe.

Out of the timeout, the Spartans did not slow down one bit as they went on a 9-0 run that saw their lead balloon to 16 points. Defense and rebounding were a major factor in this run as well as the individual play of Booker. Whether it was from 3-point range or finishing at the rim, Booker's fingerprints were all over the second half as Michigan State took a 69-53 lead with just under four minutes left.

The Spartans were able to finish the game strong, including a baseline jumper from walk on Nick Sanders. His score sent the Spartans' bench and its fans into a frenzy as MSU came away with a 77-58 victory.

The Spartans were led by Booker who had a career-high 18 points alongside his six rebounds. Kohler had another double-double on the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds while also leading the team in blocks with three.

Jaden Akins chipped in 16 points as well as the Spartans really locked up shop in the second half, holding the Grizzlies to 28 second half points. Jeremy Fears Jr. led the team in helpers on the night with four and Symon Zapala finished with eight rebounds.

Two Grizzlies finished in double figures scoring, led by Cole with 17 points on five-for-12 shooting from 3-point range. He was close to a double-double with eight rebounds, matching teammate Isaiah Jones.

Michigan State next returns to action Saturday at home versus Florida Atlantic.

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