[Westside]

NO. 3 MICHIGAN STATE DOWNS NO. 14 BUCKNELL IN NCAA FIRST ROUND, 82-78
Miles Bridges scores 29 points to lead MSU.

March 16, 2018
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DETROIT - Sophomore guard/forward Miles Bridges scored 29 points, including 19 in the second half, as No. 3 seed Michigan State used a key second half run to pull away from No. 14 seed Bucknell, 82-78, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Little Caesars Arena Friday night.

Records
• Michigan State improved to 30-4 on the season, while Bucknell finished the season 25-10. It marks MSU's fourth 30-win season, all under 23rd-year head coach Tom Izzo (33 in 1998-99; 32 in 1999-2000; 31 in 2008-09).

Summary
• MSU had led by only four points, 44-40, at the break, but used an 8-3 run over the opening 3:37 of the second half to take a 52-43 lead after a layup from Xavier Tillman forcing Bucknell to call a timeout.

• After Bucknell made a layup to open the second half (19:49) to cut the Spartan lead to 44-42, the Bison didn't make another field goal until the 8:18 mark.

• Bucknell would pull to within 52-46 at the 15:29 mark on three free throws from Zach Thomas, but an 11-2 run, with Bridges scoring nine points during that span, pushed the Spartans' lead to 63-48 with 8:36 remaining.

• Michigan State's largest lead of the game was 18 points, 72-54, with 4:16 remaining. The Bison hit five 3-pointers in the last 1:18 of the game to make the final 82-78. MSU connected on 7-of-8 free-throw attempts in the final 30 seconds to seal the win, led by Joshua Langford, who was 5-of-6 from the stripe.

• MSU took a 44-40 lead at the break thanks to 59.4 percent shooting from the field, with Langford hitting 7-of-8 shots and scoring 15 points, while Bridges hit 4-of-6 and scored 10 points.

• The Spartans jumped out to a 10-4 lead after a jumper from Langford at the 16:21 mark, but the Bison closed to within 12-9 on a 3-pointer from Zach Thomas, who scored 18 first half points.

• MSU responded with a 11-0 run and took a 23-12 lead on a 3-pointer from Langford with 10:05 on the clock, forcing Bucknell to call a timeout.

• The Bison responded with seven-straight points, part of a 16-4 burst as the No. 13 seed took a 28-27 lead on a 3-pointer from Thomas (5:24).

• Michigan State responded with a 12-3 run and took a 39-31 lead on a 3-pointer from Bridges (2:35) before going into the break with a 44-40 lead.

Key Stats
• Miles Bridges scored 29 points, the most by a Spartan in an NCAA Tournament game since Adreian Payne's school-record 41 points vs. Delaware in the first round in 2014.

• Michigan State shot .534 from the field, marking the 17th time the Spartans have shot at least 50 percent from the floor this season.

Notes
• Bridges scored 29 points, giving him 1,044 for his career, which moves him into 46th all-time at Michigan State. He passed Gary Harris (1,025) and Kevin Smith (1,028) on Friday.

• Bridges scored in double figures for the 29th time this season. With his 29 points, Bridges scored 20-plus points for the 12th time this season.

• Langford scored 22 points, his third 20-plus scoring effort of the season (23 vs. North Carolina, 23 vs. Cleveland State).

• Cassius Winston recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 assists. He now has 235 assists on the season, which is the fourth-best single season mark in MSU history.

• In its 32 NCAA Tournaments, Michigan State has a record of 25-7 in its first game of the tournament ... Since the field expanded in 1985, the Spartans are 21-7 in the round of 64 ... Tom Izzo is 16-5 in the round of 64.

Next
Michigan State will face the winner of No. 6 TCU/No. 11 Syracuse in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday in Detroit.

http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-bask...18aac.html

[E's Army]

Sparty got a tough test. They didn't fail miserably like some other teams.

[pjdoug]

Spartans are tough.