The Bulldogs faced just a 33-28 deficit into halftime but were soon teetering on the brink of elimination. Richardson’s first jumper with 14:12 left was followed by another, and Michigan State opened a 52-42 cushion. It was 65-49 by the time Jaden Akins rushed down the left side for a layup, and Bryant called a timeout with 7:46 to play.

Carr started the second half in place of center Szymon Zapala, who was late coming out of the locker room for an unknown reason. Back-to-back triples by Akins and Fears gave Michigan State its largest lead of the game at 42-33 as Bryant burned a timeout less than three minutes in.