INDIANAPOLIS — No moral victories this time.
Just four days after Michigan State pushed No. 2 Gonzaga to the limit before falling by a point, it looked like just coming close would have to be enough again as the Spartans took on No. 4 Kentucky in the Champions Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
This time, though, Michigan State made the big plays, getting a pair of Malik Hall dunks in the final seconds of regulation and the first overtime before pulling away by scoring 11 straight points late in the second overtime for a 86-77 victory.
Joey Hauser scored 23 points for Michigan State (2-1) while Hall added 20 with Mady Sissoko getting 16 points and eight rebounds and Tyson Walker chipping in 14 points.
The Spartans overcame a big game from Kentucky big man Oscar Tshiebwe, who played for the first time this season after having offseason knee surgery. He had 22 points and 18 rebounds but fouled out in the first overtime. Sahvir Wheeler scored 16 for the Wildcats (2-1) while Cason Wallace added 14.
With MSU trailing by two in regulation, Hall got free for a dunk to tie the game at 62. And with the first overtime winding down, the Spartans executed a perfect play to get Hall another dunk to even the game, 71-71.
From there, it was all Walker and Sissoko, who combined for 16 points in the overtimes, including two lob dunks between the duo in the final two minutes of the second overtime.
It was a chilly start for both teams as Michigan State opened 2-for-11 from the field while Kentucky was 4-for-13 while missing its first seven from 3-point range.
The Wildcats, however, took advantage of eight Michigan State turnovers and got six second-chance points off five offensive rebounds. That control on the gas helped Kentucky build a 20-13 lead with 8:41 to play in the half after a layup from Wheeler. But the Spartans responded with an 8-0 run, getting a pair of free throws from Jaden Akins and back-to-back 3-pointers from Walker and Hauser to take a 21-20 lead with 7:13 to go in the half.
The pace picked up from there as Kentucky responded with five in a row before Michigan State matched that run on another Hauser triple and an A.J. Hoggard layup. Wallace hit his second straight 3-pointer to put the Wildcats back in front, a lead that was extended to 30-26 on a dunk from Tshiebwe.
Another Hauser 3-pointer set off a back-and-forth stretch of a little more than a minute that ended with Kentucky ahead, 34-33, with a minute left. But Michigan State threw the final punch, getting a deep triple from Hall and then a defensive stop to take a 36-34 lead into the halftime locker room.
Michigan State took a quick five-point lead to open the second half before the teams started trading threes, one from Hauser and one each from Kentucky’s Jacob Toppin and Wheeler to tie the game at 42 with 14:53 to play. The Wildcats then scored off an offensive rebound then converted after the Spartans’ 12th turnover to take a 46-42 lead with 13:27 left in the game, capping a 7-0 surge.
The Spartans evened it up on a Hauser put-back and a Pierre Brooks runner and trailed by one after a Sissoko put-back with 8:09 to play.
A pair of free throws from Sissoko gave Michigan State a 51-50 lead, but after the teams traded free throws, the Spartans gave up a dunk to Tshiebwe and a 3-pointer to CJ Fredrick as the Wildcats took a 56-52 lead with 5:22 left in the game.
Michigan State pulled within 56-54 on a jumper from Hauser then tied it at 58 on another Hauser shot. Kentucky then got a free throw and a put-back to take a 61-58 lead with two minutes to play as an Akins 3-pointer was off target.
But Hauser pulled MSU within one at 61-60 then grabbed a rebound of a Tshiebwe miss at the other end. Walker’s shot to give MSU the lead rimmed out and Kentucky then split a pair of free throws before Hall tied the game on a dunk with 3.7 seconds left. Kentucky’s last-second shot was well off, sending the game to overtime.
Kentucky scored the first five of overtime, but Michigan State scored the next five to tie the game at 67. After the Wildcats went back up three, Walker hit a jumper to make it 70-69 with a minute left in overtime. But Walker missed on the next possession and Kentucky then split a pair of free throws to go up, 71-69, setting up the final possession and Hall’s second game-tying dunk.
The teams went back and forth in the second overtime until a lob from Walker to Sissoko gave Michigan State a 78-76 lead with 1:45 to play. It came in the middle of an 11-0 run as the Spartans pulled away.
