Jase Richardson becomes star with epic 1st start to rescue Michigan State vs Oregon, 86-74

Posted by author February 8, 2025 Basketball

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EAST LANSING – Tom Izzo wanted it. Michigan State basketball needed it.

Jaden Akins, Jase Richardson and Tre Holloman delivered it. And they weren’t alone. Even if the Spartans were as shorthanded as they’ve been all season.

After falling behind to Oregon by 14 points at halftime, No. 9 MSU stormed back with a ferocious comeback by scoring the first 12 points of the second half to get back into the game.

Richardson made his first start and scored 18 of his career-high 29 points after taking over at point guard in the second half as the Spartans delivered a milestone win for Tom Izzo in an 86-74 win over the Ducks on Saturday at Breslin Center.

MSU opened the second half with a 12-0 run and outscored Oregon 50-24 in the second half as the Spartans’ defense clamped down and bottled up the Ducks to just 6-for-24 shooting in the final period and 0-for-8 from 3-point range after they made 10 in the first half.

Akins and Holloman combined for 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting in the second half after struggling in the first 20 minutes. Holloman had 13 points with seven assists for the game, while Akins had 10 points. Jaxon Kohler had 14 points and 12 rebounds as the Spartans dominated Oregon on the boards, 40-27, after losing two straight games to USC and UCLA in the past week.

Izzo tied Bob Knight’s record for Big Ten conference victories with his 353rd league win in 30 seasons. He will have a chance to become the sole leader when the Spartans (19-4, 10-2) host Knight’s former program, Indiana, at 9 p.m. Tuesday at Breslin Center. That game will not be televised but will stream only on Peacock.

Jackson Shelstad scored 22 points for Oregon, and Kwame Evans Jr. had 10 points and seven boards for the Ducks (16-8, 5-8), who have lost five in a row. But MSU held leading scorer and rebounder Nate Bittle to just eight points on 3-for-8 shooting with one rebound.

Ill to chill

MSU learned before the game it would be without redshirt freshman Jeremy Fears Jr., who along with sophomore Xavier Booker, were listed as questionable. Izzo said both players returned from Los Angeles and got sick late in the week. Booker dressed but did not play, while Fears was not on the bench.

Already dealing with an increase in turnovers during a two-game slide against USC and UCLA, the Spartans looked lost without their point guard in the first half. On offense and defense.

Oregon set the tone by opening the game with a pair of 3-pointers, and the barrage continued throughout a first half in which the Ducks splashed in 10 triples. That included one from Shelstad at the buzzer, giving him 18 points at the break and four 3s.

MSU also committed nine turnovers in the first half that led to 21 points for Oregon.

Though Richardson had 11 points on 3-for-3 shooting, Akins and Holloman combined for just 10.

Izzo’s intent

Fouls were another first-half feature, with the two teams whistled for 18 between them in the first 20 minutes.

The Spartans came out of halftime and started mounting their comeback, getting a Holloman 3-pointer and a three-point play by Richardson to start the big run. After getting the first 12 points, MSU gave up an eight-point run that got Oregon back to a nine-point lead. It included seven fouls in the first 13:11, with Izzo getting a technical after a Frankie Fidler blocking call. The four free throws put the Ducks up, 62-51.

But Akins put together a five-point momentum swing with a 3-pointer and an alley-oop dunk from Holloman. Then Holloman drained a triple from the top of the key, and Kohler had a three-point play to get MSU back in front at 64-62 with 10:05 left for the first time since it was 21-19 in the first half.

From there, the Spartans outscored Oregon 22-12 in the final 10 minutes. Richardson took control with the ball in his hands, hitting four free throws, then a driving layup through traffic and another pullup jumper. He sliced into the paint with 2:37 left, pivoted and banked in another to make it a 12-point lead and get Breslin bouncing as MSU celebrated its 2000 national championship team on alumni weekend.

The Spartans committed just three turnovers in the second half after Richardson moved to point guard and Holloman shifted to shooting guard with Fears out.

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

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