Michigan State uses small lineup to pull away from Ferris State in final exhibition, 85-67

EAST LANSING – Less than a week away from the start of the regular season, Tom Izzo wanted Michigan State’s final preseason preparation to be about basketball instead of an event.

Ferris State obliged and provided a much stiffer test than Northern Michigan. That allowed Izzo to see some things he wanted from his team.

Namely the Spartans’ ability to use their versatility to their benefit.

MSU got out and ran in transition all night and dominated in the paint and on the glass, pulling away from the pesky Bulldogs after things got close early in the second half to an 85-67 victory Tuesday night at Breslin Center.

Transfer swingman Frankie Fidler led the Spartans with 14 points but went just 3-for-7 from the field. Sophomore Coen Carr delivered electric dunks but showed some ability to score off the dribble to add 12 points. And junior Jaxon Kohler came off the bench for nine points and 11 rebounds as MSU finished with a 45-32 rebounding advantage and 42-30 scoring edge in the paint. Xavier Booker added 10 points.

All of that got set up by stellar point guard play from starter Jeremy Fears Jr. and Tre Holloman, who combined for 14 points, 17 assists and just one turnover apiece. The Spartans wore down Ferris with a 30-14 edge on the break.

LAST EXHIBITION: Tom Izzo dream turned into reality in MSU basketball 70-53 exhibition win at alma mater

After a pair of Division II exhibition games, things get real for MSU on Monday, with a visit from Monmouth (7 p.m./BTN+).

Mykel Bingham scored 16 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Nathan Claerbaut and Tyler Hamilton each added 11 as FSU made 41.3% from the field.

Shooting woes

Izzo entered his second and final tune-up looking for two key things, better rebounding and running in transition. And the Spartans did that through an otherwise wobbly first half.

MSU started Fears, Jaden Akins, Fidler, Booker and Szymon Zapala for the second straight game. His first subs came in less than 3 minutes into the game, with Tre Holloman replacing Fears, Coen Carr subbing for Fidler and Jaxon Kohler taking over for Booker. Combo guard Jase Richardson and center Carson Cooper entered a little more than 5 minutes into the game.

Ferris State matched MSU’s toughness early, but the Spartans also forced six early Bulldog turnovers to help counter their offensive issues. It took Holloman delivering a pair of pinpoint passes in transition to Carr for crowd-lifting dunks to kickstart a 32-19 burst that helped give the Spartans a 40-28 halftime lead.

But the shooting issues that plagued MSU during its three-game August trip to Spain and in the first exhibition game at Northern Michigan continued early.

Akins, who went 2-for-12 and missed all four of his 3-point attempts in the 70-53 win in Marquette, again struggled to find the net. The 6-foot-4 senior shooting guard missed both of his triple tries and went 1-for-4 in the first half. He did crash the glass and snagged five boards, getting his only bucket on a putback for MSU’s first points of the game. Akins was scoreless in limited action in the second half, finishing with three points.

Fidler had 12 points at half, hitting a pair of 3s and making 4 of 5 free throws to show his ability to initiate contact. MSU finished 10-for-14 at the line in the opening half but went 4-for-15 as a team from 3-point range.

Mixing it up

The Bulldogs opened the second half with tenacity on the glass and aggressiveness in the paint against the Spartans’ starters. A three-point play by Hamilton and five straight points Bingham – the younger brother of former MSU big man Marcus – helped Ferris State open on a 12-5 spurt.

Izzo found some magic, though, by turning to a smaller lineup as part of his experimentation. With a Fears-Holloman-Richardson backcourt and a quicker Carr-Kohler frontcourt, MSU put the game away.

Fears hit a pair of free throws then delivered an alley-oop to Carr after a smothering defensive stop. Carr then slithered his way downhill for a layup, and Kohler went to work with a pair of post-up buckets in the paint. Richardson, the freshman son of former MSU star Jason, added five points as that group set the groundwork for a 14-3 burst that rebuild the Spartans’ lead to 16. They kept it up from there before the primary playing group gave way to the deeper reserves in the final few minutes.

Fears had nine points and eight assists, Holloman dished out nine assists with five points, while Richardson scored eight on 3-for-3 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers. The Spartans finished just 7-for-22 from deep.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State takes care of Ferris State in final exhibition, 85-67