Michigan State University
29-6
Bradley
20-15
Winston Scores 26, Michigan State Pulls Away from Bradley, 76-65
3/21/2019 5:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Des Moines, Iowa - No. 2 seed Michigan State used a 9-0 run late in the second half to open up an eight-point lead as the Spartans pulled away for a 76-65 win over No. 15 seed Bradley in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena Thursday afternoon.
Junior guard Cassius Winston (Detroit, Mich./University of Detroit Jesuit) scored 13 points in each half to finish with a game-high 26 points, leading three players in double figures. Sophomore forward Xavier Tillman (Grand Rapids, Mich./GR Christian) had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds and senior guard Matt McQuaid (Duncanville, Texas/Duncanville) chipped in 10 points.
Records
Michigan State, winners of six-straight games and 11 of its last 12 games, improves to 29-6 overall, while Bradley finishes its season at 20-15.
Summary
- In a game featuring 18 lead changes and eight ties, MSU trailed 55-54 after Bradley's Tony Childs hit a jumper with 7:02 to play.
- Winston hit a pair of free throws with 6:24 to play to give MSU the lead for good and his jumper with 4:10 on the clock pushed the lead to 58-55.
- McQuaid hit a 3-pointer from the wing with 3:31 to play to push the lead to 61-55 and freshman forward Aaron Henry (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) capped the 9-0 run with a layup at 2:41 making it 63-55.
- The Spartans hit 11 of 12 free throws in the final two minutes to seal the win.
- Michigan State trailed 35-34 at the break and fell behind 39-34 early in the second half before using a 10-0 run to take a 44-39 lead on a layup from Tillman at the 16:48 mark.
- The Spartans took a 48-41 lead on a layup from junior forward Nick Ward (Gahanna, Ohio/Lincoln) with 13:27 left and still led 50-43 behind free throws from Ward with 12:23 left, but Bradley went on a 10-2 run and took a 52-51 lead on a layup from Darrell Brown at the 9:13 mark.
- MSU went into the half trailing 35-34 after Bradley connected on 45.8 percent of its field goals (11-of-24), including 66.7 percent from 3-point land (6-of-9).
- The Spartans struggled in the first half, shooting only 36.7 percent from the floor (11-of-30), while getting out-rebounded by Bradley, 19-13.
- The Braves took their biggest lead, 10-4, after a 3-pointer from Brown at the 16:44 mark, but the Spartans responded with a 9-0 run and took a 13-10 lead on a layup from Goins with 12:53 to play in the half
- Michigan State connected on 96.2 percent of its free throws (25-of-26), including 15-of-16 in the second half.
- The Spartans out-rebounded Bradley, 36-26, including 23-7 in the second half.
- MSU finished the game shooting 42.6 percent from the floor (23-of-64), including 50.0 percent (12-of-24) in the second half.
- After Bradley shot 45.8 percent in the first half, including 66.7 percent from 3-point land, the Braves were limited to 39.3 percent overall and 25.0 percent from beyond the arc in the second half.
- The win was Michigan State's 66th all-time in NCAA Tournament play, tying the Big Ten record for most NCAA victories (Indiana).
- MSU, making its 33rd NCAA Tournament appearance, is now 26-7 in its first game of the tournament.
- Since the field expanded in 1985, the Spartans are 22-7 in the round of 64.
- MSU Head Coach Tom Izzo is 17-5 in the round of 64.
- Michigan State has a 99-42 record in March since the 1998-99 season and MSU Head Coach Tom Izzo is 106-49 in March
- MSU improved to 5-0 all-time against Bradley, while Izzo is now 4-0.
- Michigan State's 96.2 percent shooting from the free throw line was its best in an NCAA Tournament game in program history, topping the mark of 94.4 percent last set vs. North Carolina State in 2002.
- Mchigan State out-rebounded its opponent for the 31st time this season.
- Winston scored at least 20 points for the 19th time this season.
- Winston has scored in double figures 33 times this year.
- Winston's 26 points give him 1,345 for his career, 25th on the all-time scoring list at MSU.
- Tillman posted his second-straight double-double, his fifth this season.
- He has scored in double figures 17 times this season, including the last three games.
- His 11 rebounds marked the ninth this season he has grabbed at least 10 boards.
- McQuaid scored in double figures for the 17th time this season.
Up Next
Michigan State advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and will face No. 10 seed Minnesota on Saturday, March 23. A tip time will be determined later.
