Michigan State made four of its first seven 3-pointers against Quinnipiac. By halftime, the Spartans had stretched a 10-point lead to 28 on the strength of 10 offensive rebounds, 19 fast-break points, and a defensive stretch that kept the Bobcats without a field goal for more than six minutes.
The Spartans opened the regular season with a 96–59 win Monday night that reflected Tom Izzo’s familiar priorities of defending, rebounding, and running. Fears hit a three 30 seconds in to put Michigan State ahead for good. He finished with 13 points and 11 assists, and Bonke had 11 points and 13 rebounds in 19 minutes.
Early threes opened the lead, and the Spartans kept adding to it
Fears, Jordan Scott, Carlos Medlock Jr., and Kur Teng each made a 3-pointer as Michigan State built a 16–6 lead. Medlock and Teng hit back-to-back threes during a 10–0 run that pushed the margin to 20–6. The Spartans went 2-for-8 from deep after their 4-for-7 start and still took a 52–24 lead into halftime.
The Spartans took seven more shots than Quinnipiac in the first half and made 11 more, going 19-for-35 to the Bobcats’ 8-for-28. MSU outrebounded Quinnipiac 28–13 and turned 10 offensive boards into 11 second-chance points. Bonke grabbed nine rebounds in 12 minutes, and Coen Carr added six.
The two combined for more rebounds than Quinnipiac’s entire team before halftime.
Quinnipiac went 5-for-19 inside the arc in the first half. By the under-4 timeout, the Bobcats had gone 6:03 without a field goal, and Michigan State had outscored them 12–1 over the previous 5:42. The Spartans recorded five blocks and six steals, scored 11 points off eight turnovers, and outscored Quinnipiac 19–2 on the break. They also took better care of the ball as the half progressed, committing three turnovers by the first media timeout and three more over the final 14:38.
Michigan State’s reserves supplied 24 first-half points. Medlock scored nine on 4-for-5 shooting and had three assists without a turnover in seven minutes. Teng made two of his three attempts from deep, and Kaleb Glenn made both of his shots. Fears and Medlock combined for seven of MSU’s 10 first-half assists. Fears set up Jasiah Jervis for a three with 42 seconds left, then scored on a layup with two seconds remaining.
Michigan State answered Quinnipiac’s run by getting back inside
Quinnipiac opened the second half on a 12–4 run to cut the lead to 56–36 and got within 20 again at 58–38. Cameron Ward answered with a layup, Teng hit his third 3-pointer, and Fears drove for a layup. The three baskets came in 92 seconds and pushed the lead back to 27. Michigan State outscored Quinnipiac 40–23 after the Bobcats’ opening run.
The Spartans shot 17-for-27 (63.0%) after halftime, including 14-for-19 inside the arc. They scored 28 of their 44 second-half points in the paint, added 17 fast-break points, and turned eight Quinnipiac turnovers into 12 points. Michigan State scored on 21 of 34 second-half possessions and averaged 1.39 points per possession for the game.
Fears had seven of MSU’s 12 second-half assists, including the pass that set up a Glenn three. Glenn blocked a dunk attempt at the other end on Quinnipiac’s next possession. Scott led the Spartans with eight points after halftime, making all four of his attempts inside the arc after shooting 1-for-5 overall in the first half. He finished with 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Carr added 12 points and eight rebounds, while Bonke had four offensive boards and two blocks to go with his double-double.
Six Spartans reached double figures
Fears, Carr, Bonke, Scott, Teng, and Glenn all scored in double figures, and 11 Spartans scored. The bench accounted for 45 of Michigan State’s 96 points. Teng scored 11 and went 3-for-5 from deep, Glenn scored 11 on 5-for-5 shooting, and Medlock finished with nine points and four assists without a turnover. Ward added nine points and five rebounds.
Michigan State finished with 50 points in the paint, 36 on the fast break, and 23 off 16 Quinnipiac turnovers. The Spartans pulled down 46 rebounds, including 14 on the offensive end, and scored 18 second-chance points. They assisted on 22 of their 36 baskets and finished with eight blocks and 10 steals.
The Spartans shot 58.1% from the floor and 39.1% from three. Their lowest shooting percentage came at the free-throw line, where they went 15-for-26 (57.7%), including 7-for-14 in the second half.
Michigan State hosts Toledo on Thursday.
