Max Christie and Marcus Bingham Jr. each scored 17 points to lead No. 11 Michigan State to a 90-78 win over Oakland on Tuesday in a neutral-site, nonconference game in Detroit.
Gabe Brown scored 14 points, Malik Hall scored 13 and Tyson Walker had 10 points and 10 assists to help Michigan State (10-2) earn its fifth win in a row.
Jalen Moore led all scorers with 25 points to go along with 11 assists for Oakland (7-4), which took its second consecutive loss. Jamal Cain had 20 points, Micah Parrish scored 19 and Trey Townsend added 14.
Leading 44-35 at halftime, Michigan State got off to a good start in the second half, taking a 50-37 edge with 17:36 remaining after a 3-pointer by Walker.
Oakland managed to cut the deficit to 55-48, but the Spartans then went on a 9-2 run to take a 64-50 lead with 11:28 remaining on a Hall jumper.
The Golden Grizzlies cut Michigan State’s lead to 73-63 with 6:45 remaining after a 3-pointer by Townsend, but the Spartans went up by 82-66 with 3:56 left thanks to a 3-pointer by Christie.
Oakland didn’t go away quietly though, going on a 10-2 run to cut the gap to 84-76 with 2:12 remaining. However, the Golden Grizzlies couldn’t get any closer than that the rest of the game.
Michigan State led from the start, jumping out to a 17-10 lead with 13:55 remaining in the first half.
Oakland responded and pulled within 21-20 with 11:17 left in the first half, but the Spartans went on an 8-0 run to grab a 29-20 lead with 8:41 to go until halftime.
The Golden Grizzlies used an 8-0 run of their own to pull within 36-35 with 3:36 left in the first half, but Michigan State responded with another 8-0 surge to take a 44-35 lead into the locker room at halftime.
–Field Level Media
