Game summary
Michigan State raced out to an early lead, watched it slowly slip away, and then lost it completely in overtime as the UCLA Bruins sent the Spartans packing with an 86-80 win in the First Four round of the NCAA Tournament.
UCLA finishes off Michigan State in overtime
Johnny Juzang has the first points in overtime for UCLA. Rocket Watts then airballs, as that’s two shots in a very short amount of time to completely miss the rim, in the most inopportune time possible.
Juzang scores again on the next possession. It’s 81-77, UCLA.
Josh Langford goes to the line, missing the first but hitting the second to make it a 3-point game. Still, Michigan State looks like it’s fading.
Aaron Henry turns it over, and UCLA takes its time before getting the ball to Cody Riley for an emphatic dunk that puts the Bruins up by 5.
Michigan State hurries in the opposite direction, and Langford hits a layup to make it a one-possession game. Juzang went down awkwardly and probably won’t return.
UCLA timeout: UCLA 83, Michigan State 80 (0:30 OT)
Michigan State intentionally fouls Riley. He makes 1 of 2, it’s a 4-point game.
Langford can’t put home the shot, and this one’s pretty much over. UCLA is headed to the line with 14 seconds left.
FINAL: UCLA 86, Michigan State 80
Henry airballs final shot for MSU; overtime on the way
Malik Hall hits a free throw out of the break to finish off his 3-point play. It’s 73-67, Michigan State. Jules Bernard makes a layup on the other end, and will also have an and-1 opportunity after another TV timeout.
Media timeout: Michigan State 73, UCLA 69 (3:38 2nd)
Bernard cashes his free-throw attempt. It’s a 3-point game.
Rocket Watts throws up a prayer with the shot clock expiring at the other end, Josh Langford fights for it, gets it back to Watts, and the sophomore guard puts it home for 2 to make it 75-70.
Langford gets called for a foul while trying to guard the perimeter, sending Cody Riley to the line.
Riley hits both. It’s 75-72, Michigan State. 1:46 left.
Michigan State timeout: Michigan State 75, UCLA 72 (1:38 2nd)
Aaron Henry gets fouled in side on the Spartans’ next possession and hits both free throws. Back to a 5-point game.
Johnny Juzang drives from the baseline and draws a shooting foul on Langford. He hits both; the lead is back to 3 with 1:10 remaining.
Watts misses a clean look at a 3, as UCLA heads the other way. Henry is called for a reaching foul that’ll send Jaime Jaquez to the line. Jacquez misses the front end of a 1-and-1, gets the rebound, and is fouled while finishing a layup. He makes the and-1 free throw, and the game is tied.
28 seconds left.
Timeout Michigan State: Michigan State 77, UCLA 77 (0:17 2nd)
Henry isos, steps back, and airballs. Officials rule that Bernard got a piece of it with his block attempt, but they’ll go to the monitor with 3.3 seconds left. It’s currently Michigan State ball, but it’s then overturned.
UCLA ball. Tie game with 3.3 left.
Juzang heaves a shot from half court at the buzzer, which misses. We’re headed to overtime.
End 2nd: Michigan State 77, UCLA 77
Michigan State, UCLA trading leads in final minutes
Jaime Jaquez gets the first basket out of the break, a 3-pointer to make it 62-58, Michigan State.
A.J. Hoggard and Jaylen Clark trade layups to push the story along.
Jaquez stays hot, nailing a jumpshot from the top of the key to make it a 2-point game. He’s got 24 tonight on 10-for-17 shooting thus far.
Media timeout: Michigan State 64, UCLA 62 (6:51 2nd)
Joey Hauser makes a pair of free throws after the timeout, which Tyger Campbell promptly nullifies and then some with a 3-pointer on the other end. The lead is 1.
UCLA gets a stop, and Jules Bernard nails a layup to give the Bruins a lead, 67-66. Malik Hall draws a foul and makes both free throws to make it 68-67, Spartans.
Aaron Henry puts Michigan State up 3 with a nice bucket inside. He’s got 14 points and seven assists so far. Hall goes back inside, again successfully, to put the Spartans up 5. He’ll have a free throw when we come back.
Media timeout: Michigan State 72, UCLA 67 (4:00 2nd)
Michigan State stabilizes after UCLA run, jumps out to 7-point lead at under-10-minute timeout
Marcus Bingham makes one of two free throws out of the break to make it 49-45, Michigan State. The Spartans get a stop as Aaron Henry knocks down a jumpshot the next possession to grab some breathing room.
Bingham swats away Mac Etienne’s attempt inside to keep the momentum rolling.
UCLA wastes a Michigan State turnover by turning it over themselves, as Gabe Brown makes a layup to push Michigan State’s lead to 8.
Tyger Campbell makes a pair of free throws to put it back to 6.
After a number of stops for both teams, Michigan State draws a foul on Cody Riley, his fourth. Josh Langford extends the lead to 8 shortly thereafter.
Johnny Juzang drills a 3-pointer to stablize the Bruins, which is answered by a Langford 3 on the other end.
Juzang makes another 3-pointer, which is answered by an Aaron Henry jumpshot on the other end. It’s 60-55, Michigan State.
Langford makes another shot to force a UCLA timeout.
UCLA timeout: Michigan State 62, UCLA 55 (9:20 2nd)
UCLA draws within striking distance to open half
Cody Riley gets fouled on UCLA’s first possession out of the break and knocks down both free throws. Malik Hall answers with a dunk, making it 46-35 Michigan State.
Jaime Jaquez makes a jumpshot, followed by a Johnny Juzang 3, and UCLA has cut the deficit to 6 in a hurry. Juzang then hits a 2-point jump shot on the next possession, and it’s 46-42.
Marcus Bingham breaks the momentum with a pair of free throws, but Jaquez nails a 3-pointer seconds later and UCLA forces a turnover on the next Spartan possession. It’s a 3-point game.
Bingham draws a foul inside before the break.
Media timeout: Michigan State 46, UCLA 43 (15:55 1st)
Michigan State takes 11-point lead into halftime
Malik Hall hits a free throw out of the break to complete the and-1 and put Michigan State up 29-21.
Jaime Jaquez gets UCLA back on the board with a layup before Aaron Henry drills a 3 moments later to push the lead to 9.
Then it’s Gabe Brown knocking down a 3 in his defender’s face to give the Spartans their biggest lad of the game.
UCLA timeout: Michigan State 35, UCLA 23 (4:23 1st)
Jules Benard makes a 3-pointer to stop the bleeding a bit, but Julius Marble answers with a layup on the other end. Spartans lead by 11.
Joey Hauser hits a 3-pointer of his own to give Michigan State a 14-point lead, which Bernard answers with a 3-point play on the other end.
Jaquez makes a jumper; Gabe Brown puts through a couple of free throws to make it 42-31.
Both teams have trouble finding the hoops on the next few possessions, but Marble hits a layup for Michigan State with 23 seconds left. Jaquez gets a shot off before the buzzer and sinks it to end the half.
HALFTIME: Michigan State 44, UCLA 33
Spartans finding groove as first half rolls on
Cody Riley hits a layup for UCLA out of the break to make it 19-17, Spartans.
Rocket Watts hits a 3-pointer, then makes a layup, and forces UCLA to call timeout.
UCLA timeout: Michigan State 24, UCLA 17 (8:47 1st)
Aaron Henry nails a jumper out of the break to extend the lead to 9, which Riley promptly puts back to 7 with a jumpshot.
Johnny Juzang and Malik Hall trade buckets before another TV timeout.
Media timeout: Michigan State 28, UCLA 21 (7:02 1st)
Mid-range game keeps Spartans on top in first half
Malik Hall gets called for a foul inside, and Jaime Jaquez hits 1 of 2 at the line. It’s 9-8, Spartans.
Jacquez continues to work inside, this time getting a bucket without getting fouled to give UCLA its first lead of the game, 10-9.
Marcus Bingham hits two free throws to go back on top before Joey Hauser makes a layup to put it back to 13-10, Spartans.
David Singleton makes a 3 to tie the game at 13.
Bingham and Johnny Juzang trade buckets inside to make it 15-all.
Josh Langford and Joey Hauser nail back-to-back jumpshots for the Spartans to give Michigan State a 4-point lead with just over 10 minutes to go.
Media timeout: Michigan State 19, UCLA 15 (10:02 1st)
Michigan State offense off to hot start vs. UCLA
Aaron Henry gets the first bucket of the game, a deep 3 that gives the Spartans the first lead of the game. Johnny Juzang answers with a 2-point jumper on the other end.
Henry and the Spartans get back to work with a nice dish to Julius Marble that earns 2, a drive to the lane by Rocket Watts that gets 2 more, and a jumpshot by Julius Marble that puts the Spartans up 9-2 fairly quickly.
Jaime Jaquez hits a 3 and a 2 on consecutive possessions to stop the bleeding.
Media timeout: Michigan State 9, UCLA 7 (15:58 1st)
Pregame
Can Michigan State go from First Four to Final Four? The Spartans will begin to answer that question Thursday night.
Michigan State takes on UCLA in an NCAA Tournament play-in game Thursday night at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:57 p.m., and will be televised on TBS.
The Spartans (15-12) needed a late-season flourish to make it this far, winning five of their last seven regular-season games — three coming against foes ranked in the top five nationally. Michigan State stumbled in the second round of the Big Ten tournament, losing to Maryland, 67-58.
UCLA (17-9), meanwhile, enters the tournament on a four-game losing skid, including an 83-79 overtime loss to Oregon State in the Pac-12 tournament.
Follow along here for live updates from Detroit News contributor Nolan Bianchi.
