Michigan State started its Maui Invitational campaign on a positive note, as the Spartans put some distance between themselves and Colorado in the first half and coasted to an opening round win, by a score of 72-56 on Monday afternoon in Hawaii.
After a small delay due to the first game at the Lahaina Civic Center between Memphis and UConn going to overtime, the Spartans took the floor against the Buffaloes. Both teams seemed to be unfazed by the short delay, as they came out of the gate strongly, scoring on each of their first three possessions.
As has been the story for most of the season, though, the bench was once again a massive spark for MSU for most of the first half. Freshman Jase Richardson was knifing into the lane and finishing like a veteran while Coen Carr was using his athleticism to score at will at the rim and in transition.
The Spartans were fantastic on the defensive end in the first half holding the Buffaloes to 33% from the field and 16% from three. While the Spartans struggled from three once again (0-9 in the first half), they dominated inside the arc, shooting a blistering 50% from the field while also doubling up the Buffaloes on the boards. The Spartans were led by Jase Richardson in the first half with eight points while Jaxon Kohler and Syzmon Zapala both had six rebounds to lead the Spartans. Going into the half the Spartans led, 38-25.
Colorado came out of the half trying to throw Michigan State out of its rhythm by implementing a 1-3-1 zone on defense. The zone look rattled the Spartans a bit, which led to an 8-2 Colorado run that cut the lead to single digits early in the second half. Though the outside shot continued not to fall, the Spartans continued their hot shooting from two as they were able to get out in transition and dice up the weak areas of the zone.
Midway through the first half, the Spartans were finally able to knock down their first 3-point shot of the day when Jase Richardson knocked down a corner three to set the Spartans then-largest lead of the game at 15. The stifling defense and the ability to score at will at the rim saw the lead grow to 20 late in the second half. If the Spartans were able to hit the three in this game they probably would have won by 25+ points.
Michigan State, who was led by Jase Richardson with 13 points, held Colorado to 37% from the field and 21% from three while out rebounding the Buffaloes 37-27.
MSU advances to take on the Memphis Tigers at 6 p.m. ET (1 p.m. in Hawaii) on Tuesday. The Tigers defeated No. 2 UConn in their first game.
