FORT WAYNE, Ind. - IPFW slowed the game down and for a while No. 5 Michigan State couldn’t keep up.
After finishing with a flourish in the first half to open an eight-point halftime lead, the Spartans (2-0) came out in the second half making just 1-of-10 shots, falling behind twice by three points against methodical IPFW (0-2). But the Spartans finally gained control inside, using a 13-0 run in the second half to beat the Mastodons 70-59 on Wednesday night.
“They just controlled the tempo from the start. We didn’t play that great of a defense. We just didn’t do the things that we normally do. It was just a disappointing win,” said Raymar Morgan, who scored eight of his team-leading 22 points during the decisive run.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was disappointed his uptempo team couldn’t do a better job of setting the pace.
“I thought they took the tempo to us and then we got a little frustrated, out of control, took some bad shots, we missed some good shots, some layups and things,” he said.
IPFW took a 44-42 lead when David Carson, who had 17 points for the Mastodons, hit a 16-foot jumper with 11 minutes left. Delvon Roe made a free throw, Goran Suton grabbed the rebound on the missed free throw and Kalin Lucas made 17-foot jumper.
The Spartans then forced IPFW turnovers on three straight possessions and Morgan capped the run with a three-point play, scoring in a crowd then making a free throw.
“We just tried to get the ball inside,” Morgan said. “We were a little bit bigger. We thought that we could control the inside game.”
The Mastodons only missed two shots during the 13-0 run, but the Spartans forced five turnovers.
Lucas added 17 points and Suton had 10 rebounds for the Spartans. Ben Botts led IPFW with 22 points.
IPFW, which shot 25 percent in its opening game loss at Xavier, its worst shooting night since becoming a Division I program in 2001, outshot the Spartans 46 percent to 43 percent.
The Spartans had a 38-28 rebounding advantage and made 19 free throws on 28 attempts compared to IPFW’s 6-of-7.
IPFW coach Dane Fife was proud of how his team played.
“I thought we did really good job of taking away or limiting what Michigan State does best. I thought for the most part we battled on the glass,” he said. “I would say we still have work to do as basketball team. A lot of work to do.”
Izzo, who agreed to play at Fort Wayne because he is friends with Fife, whom he tried to recruit when he was in high school, said he hopes it was a good experience for his team as they travel to Orlando, Fla., to play in the Old Spice Classic then play top-ranked North Carolina in Detroit.
“What happens when you go on the road, every shot they made became bigger for them and more depressing for us and that’s why its hard to play these games on the road,” he said.
