Jaden Akins had 18 points and No. 18 Michigan State extended its winning streak to six games by defeating Western Michigan 80-62 on Monday afternoon in East Lansing, Mich.
Carson Cooper had 13 points and six rebounds for the Spartans (11-2) in the nonconference game. Coen Carr, Tre Holloman and Jase Richardson tossed in nine points apiece.
Chansey Willis Jr.’s 12 points topped the Broncos (3-9), who have lost five straight. Max Burton added 10 points.
Michigan State led 37-24 at halftime. Both teams had trouble holding onto the ball with each committing 11 turnovers. Akins led the way with 11 points.
The Spartans got off to a slow start, trailing 11-5 through the first five minutes. They got settled by forcing some turnovers, scoring the next 13 points. Richardson got it going with a fast-break dunk. He also had a three-point play during that span.
Western Michigan coach Dwayne Stephens, a former Michigan State assistant, received a technical and Frankie Fidler made both free throws.
A Willis basket ended that run. Western Michigan was still within five points at 27-22 with less than six minutes remaining in the half.
The Spartans then closed out the half with a 10-2 run. An Akins basket started it, and Cooper followed with a dunk and a layup. Szymon Zapala finished it off with a tip-in just before the halftime buzzer.
Western Michigan came out re-energized after the break, scoring the first 10 points of the second half. Willis had a 3-pointer during that outburst and Owen Lobsinger completed it with another 3-pointer. The Spartans scored the next five points, including an Akins 3-pointer.
Michigan State’s lead remained in single digits until midway through the half. Willis scored in the lane with 11:56 remaining to make it a four-point game at 49-45. That was as close as the Broncos would get.
A Cooper three-point play and another Zapala putback pushed the Spartans’ advantage to 58-47. Michigan State continued to nudge the lead the rest of the way.
–Field Level Media
