EAST LANSING, Mich. — Coen Carr shone for No. 20 Michigan State, recording personal bests with 17 points and eight rebounds, leading the team to a comfortable 86-69 win over Florida Atlantic on Saturday.
The Spartans improved their record to 10-2, marking their fifth consecutive victory and eighth in the last nine games.
On the other hand, Florida Atlantic, now at 7-6, came into this matchup having won three straight games, boasting an impressive average of over 87 points during those outings.
Tre Carroll led the Owls with 24 points, while Baba Miller contributed 12 points in the effort.
Michigan State started the game slowly, allowing the Owls to take an early lead for more than four minutes until Carr invigorated the crowd with a couple of impressive dunks.
He finished the game shooting 7 of 9 from the field, including a three-pointer, and converted both of his free throw attempts, eclipsing his previous best performance set during a victory against then-No. 12 North Carolina last month in the Maui Invitational.
Jeremy Fears and Jaden Akins each added 13 points for the Spartans, while Frankie Fidler made a significant impact in the first half, scoring eight of his total ten points.
Takeaways from this game indicate that first-year Florida Atlantic coach John Jakus, who took over for Dusty May after he moved on to Michigan, can draw some positives from the game’s competitive start.
For Michigan State, Carr’s dynamic dunks provided the energy boost needed for a team that sometimes experiences lapses in intensity.
One pivotal moment came when Carr executed a tiebreaking dunk with 6:45 remaining in the first half, igniting a 22-9 scoring surge for the Spartans.
A noteworthy statistic from the game was Fears, who had eight assists and just one turnover, demonstrating excellent control of the offense with nearly flawless execution during his minutes.
Looking ahead, Michigan State will host Western Michigan on December 30, where Dwayne Stephens, a former player and longtime member of the Spartans’ coaching staff, will be returning as the head coach of the opposing team.
Meanwhile, Florida Atlantic will take on No. 21 Memphis on January 2 in their American Athletic Conference debut.
