It wasn’t supposed to be that close, as Detroit Mercy gave the Spartans a real scare on Friday night. Michigan State needed a late surge and a few stops down the stretch to hold off the Titans, 83-76.
Rocket Watts led the Spartans in scoring with 23 points and four assists. Gabe Brown (16 points), Aaron Henry (12 points) and Joey Hauser (10 points) each also reached double-digits in points, with Henry also grabbing 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
“Trap game a little bit, a team that we had nothing on, players that we didn’t even know, found a way to win, we’re going to have to do that a couple times,” head coach Tom Izzo said during his post game press conference. “But those of you who think that we’re ready for the national championship because we beat Duke, readjust your theories, we got a lot of work and a long way to go.”
Here are highlights from Friday’s near upset:
Rocket Watts put up 23 points to help @MSU_Basketball
to the win over upset-minded Detroit Mercy.Highlights: pic.twitter.com/EuABc8GX4U
— Michigan St. on BTN (@MichiganStOnBTN) December 5, 2020
MSU returns to the court on Sunday against another in-state foe in Western Michigan. That game is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. EST and can be seen on the Big Ten Network.
