Jaxon Kohler scored 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as No. 22 Michigan State downed Colgate, 80-69, in the season opener for both teams in East Lansing, Mich., on Monday night.
Jeremy Fears Jr. also had a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists, while Coen Carr contributed 12 points. Carson Cooper added 10 points with six rebounds.
Sam Wright led the Raiders with 17 points. Andrew Alekseyenko supplied 14 points, while Jalen Cox supplied 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Brady Cummins chipped in 11 points.
Free throws played a huge role. Michigan State shot 37 and made 24, while Colgate had 25 fouls, attempted just six free throws and made four.
Alekseyenko gave Colgate a 3-0 lead eight seconds into the game on a 3-pointer. Michigan State scored the next eight points and led the rest of the half but couldn’t pull away.
Fears made a layup for a 13-6 Spartans lead, then the Raiders had a 7-1 spurt to close within one. Following a Fears layup, Michigan State’s lead fluctuated between two and six points.
Fears drained two free throws with 1:15 left in the half before Cummins drained a 3-pointer to cut the Spartans’ halftime advantage to 37-34.
A steal and basket by Ben Tweedy just over a minute into the second half cut Colgate’s deficit to one. Cummins’ 3-pointer with 17 minutes remaining tied it at 39-apiece.
However, the Raiders were not able to take the lead. Fort hit three free throws after getting from beyond the arc to make it 50-45. That was followed by a Kohler layup.
A steal by Fears and alley-oop pass to Carr for a dunk with 9:54 remaining pushed Michigan State’s lead to 58-47. Kohler made a 3-pointer and Cooper tossed in a free throw for a 62-47 lead, capping a 15-2 run.
Colgate scored the next eight points, including five from Wright. Michigan State then put the game away by going on a 10-2 run, which included six points from Kohler.
