Michigan Takes Down MSU 90-80 in Regular Big 10 Season Finale

Yaxel Lendeborg was the best player on the floor by a wide margin, and it wasn’t particularly close. The forward carved up the Spartans with 27 points on 8-of-12 shooting, drilling 5-of-6 from deep and cashing all six of his free throws in a shooting clinic that had Tom Izzo’s defense searching for answers that never came.

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	Michigan Takes Down MSU 90-80 in Regular Big 10 Season Finale Bunky McFadden - Sports Tell Us Detroit News ANN ARBOR - The rims at Crisler Center are going to need an ice bath after what Michigan did to them Sunday night. In front of a roaring maize-and-blue crowd, the Wolverines didn’t just close the regular season — they slammed the door on it, rolling past rival Michigan State 90-80 in a game that carried both Big Ten tournament stakes and another layer of heat in one of college basketball’s nastiest rivalries. Yaxel Lendeborg was the best player on the floor by a wide margin, and it wasn’t particularly close. The forward carved up the Spartans with 27 points on 8-of-12 shooting, drilling 5-of-6 from deep and cashing all six of his free throws in a shooting clinic that had Tom Izzo’s defense searching for answers that never came. Every time Michigan State threatened, Lendeborg had a reply — a step-back three, a rhythm catch-and-shoot, a calm trip to the line. For a half, though, the Spartans hung around. Michigan nursed a 42-41 lead at the break, and it looked like another chapter in a rivalry defined by late-game drama. Then the Wolverines came out of the locker room with their foot on the gas and never eased up, outscoring Michigan State 48-39 over the final 20 minutes and stretching the lead to as many as 11. That double-digit cushion felt larger in real time, a reflection of how thoroughly Michigan controlled the second half. This wasn’t a one-man show, either. Roddy Gayle Jr. turned in the kind of efficient, under-control performance coaches love, dropping 15 points on 4-of-5 shooting, living at the line, and adding four rebounds and three assists. Morez Johnson Jr. did his work in the trenches with 18 points and seven boards, punishing the Spartans inside while Lendeborg torched them outside. Off the bench, Trey McKenney gave Michigan exactly what contenders need in March: instant offense and energy, chipping in 12 critical points to keep the pressure on. The box score reads like a love letter to offensive execution. Michigan shot 49.1% from the floor, a blistering 45.5% from three, and an almost absurd 89.7% at the stripe, knocking down 26 of 29. At the rim, the Wolverines were ruthless, finishing 12 of 16 shots in close for a 75% mark that broke the Spartans’ resistance whenever they tried to rally. To their credit, Michigan State didn’t go quietly. Jaxon Kohler was a load, putting up 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting, stepping out for a pair of threes and hauling in eight rebounds with three assists. Jeremy Fears Jr. played with poise and toughness, scoring 22 points and going 10-of-12 at the free-throw line while handing out nine assists against just three turnovers. In the paint, Carson Cooper added 19 points and six boards, giving the Spartans a steady interior option. Michigan State actually owned the paint, outscoring Michigan 40-30 inside, but the Spartans couldn’t survive the math game. Twenty-two fouls and just 6-of-18 shooting from beyond the arc — 33.3% on a low volume of attempts — left them chasing a team that simply didn’t miss enough to be caught. Every whistle seemed to nudge the Wolverines back to the line, and every trip felt like two more nails in the coffin. In the end, depth and discipline separated the two rivals. Michigan’s bench poured in 29 points to Michigan State’s 8, a disparity that screamed off the stat sheet and showed up in the Spartans’ tired legs down the stretch. When the game tilted into winning time, the Wolverines still had fresh options; Michigan State was running on fumes. Now Michigan heads into the Big Ten Tournament with momentum and a statement win in its back pocket, set to host a third-round matchup on March 13. Michigan State will also be back on the floor March 13-14, but it will enter postseason play knowing it just got outshot, out-executed, and outlasted by the team it most wanted to beat. On Sunday night in Ann Arbor, the rivalry delivered the intensity. Michigan delivered the answers.