Second half run surges Michigan State past Indiana at home, 81-60

For 30 minutes Tuesday night, Michigan State and Indiana traded punches in a Big Ten battle that felt destined to go down to the wire. Then the Spartans flipped a switch, and the game was over almost as quickly as it turned.

Behind a dominant 26–2 run midway through the second half, MSU blew past IU 81–60 at the Breslin Center, avenging last season’s 71-67 home loss to the Hoosiers while improving to 14–2 overall and 4–1 in conference play. The win snapped any momentum IU hoped to regain after back-to-back losses and reaffirmed MSU’s growing identity as one of the league’s best.

Jeremy Fears Jr. was the catalyst from start to finish, scoring 23 points and handing out 10 assists in one of the best all-around performances of his career that boasted his career-high in scoring. Jaxon Kohler added his 10th double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while freshman Jordan Scott continued his emergence with 11 points, three rebounds, and two assists off the bench.

IU, now 12–4 and 3–2 in Big Ten play, was led by Lamar Wilkerson’s 19 points on 6-of-14 shooting. Tucker DeVries chipped in nine points and three assists, but the Hoosiers unraveled under the Spartans' defensive pressure after the game was tied midway through the second half.

The night began with an immediate indicator of how aggressive Fears intended to be. He knocked down a trey to reclaim the lead for MSU early, then attacked the basket for free throws and a layup on consecutive possessions, scoring all eight of the Spartans’ first points as they went up 8–6. IU briefly countered with two straight dunks from Sam Alexis, but Fears remained relentless, pushing pace and consistently collapsing the Hoosier defense.

IU struggled to get inside early, going four minutes without a paint touch and relying heavily on perimeter shooting. When the Hoosiers shifted into a 2–3 zone, it briefly disrupted MSU’s rhythm. Tayton Conerway’s reverse layup and Wilkerson’s transition 3-pointer pushed IU ahead 17–10 while MSU found itself 1-for-8 from deep while taking an uncharacteristically low number of shots inside the arc.

Adjustments came quickly for the Spartans, though. Kohler broke the zone with a trey from the top, and Fears continued to slice through gaps for transition baskets and drives. By the time Fears hammered home a dunk to cut the deficit to 20–17, he had already accounted for 12 of MSU’s first 15 points.

The turning point of the first half came during a decisive MSU run. After Kohler converted an and-one opportunity and Fears completed a tough 3-point play through contact, a broken possession ended with Kur Teng finding Scott in the corner for a trey that gave MSU a 24–22 lead. The Spartans were rolling.

Teng followed with two more 3-pointers from the corner — both assisted by Fears — as MSU suddenly caught fire. A Kohler layup off a Scott post entry capped a 25–5 run that completely flipped the game. Though Wilkerson hit a late trey to stop the bleeding, MSU entered halftime firmly in control, leading 39–32 after Kohler’s buzzer-beating putback was ruled just late.

Despite its offensive slide into halftime, IU wasn’t done yet. Wilkerson opened the second half with a trey, and after both teams traded baskets from there. The Hoosiers clawed their way back into the game as consecutive IU scores cut the margin to 45–42. After Reed Bailey finished an alley-oop from DeVries, the Spartans’ lead was down to one.

The Breslin Center grew tense as Wilkerson buried another 3-pointer to tie the game at 51. Moments later, a fastbreak dunk by Wilkerson off an MSU turnover knotted the score again at 53, and IU appeared poised to steal momentum on the road.

Instead, that moment marked the end of the Hoosiers’ night.

Scott ignited the surge with a confident mid-range jumper. On the next possession, Cam Ward finished through contact for an and-one, restoring a five-point lead for the Spartans. Then came the play that broke it open — Kohler stripped IU in the post, Fears pushed the ball ahead, and Coen Carr rose for a thunderous tomahawk dunk that sent the Breslin Center into chaos.

The Hoosiers called a timeout, but the Spartans were just getting started.

Scott drilled a trey to make it 63–53 before, moments later, Fears converted a fastbreak layup after another IU turnover. The Spartans’ defense tightened further, forcing a shot-clock violation before Carson Cooper split a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession.

Kohler added a putback to stretch the run to 15 straight points, and frustration boiled over for IU. Bailey picked up a technical foul after tangling with Cooper and was ejected. Soon after, Conor Enright fouled out trying to stop an alley-oop attempt.

By the time Cooper sank two free throws to make it a 19-point game, MSU had turned a 53–53 tie into a commanding lead. IU finally snapped its scoring drought on a DeVries turnaround jumper, but the damage was irreversible.

Credit: Marvin Hall

Izzo emptied the bench in the final minute as MSU cruised to an 81–60 victory.

The 19–0 second-half run — the largest of the season for MSU — showcased exactly what makes this Spartan team dangerous: elite guard play, physical rebounding, and a defense capable of breaking opponents. Kohler’s double-double anchored the interior, while Scott’s poise and shot-making continue to elevate MSU’s depth.

For IU, the loss highlighted growing pains for the Hoosiers under first-year head coach Darian DeVries whose roster looks vastly different from last season’s group that upset MSU in East Lansing. After competing toe-to-toe for most of the night, the Hoosiers were simply overwhelmed.

For Michigan State, it was a reminder of just how high the ceiling may be when everything clicks — and a message to the Big Ten that the Spartans are finding their stride.