Michigan State basketball: Notable performances in loss to KK FMP

Michigan State basketball lost to KK FMP on Tuesday afternoon and here are some of the most notable performances.

Michigan State basketball concluded its three-game tour of Spain with a loss to KK FMP in Barcelona to finish 2-1. The game was never really in doubt, as the Serbian professional squad led from the opening tip to the final buzzer.

The Spartans came within striking distance several times but were ultimately outmatched inside and out.

As with the previous two games, I look into some of the notable performances from the box score. I apologize in advance for any statistical errors, as the internet feed was spotty for this game.

Frankie Fidler finishes strong as MSU’s scoring leader

Frankie Fidler led all MSU scorers with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He has established himself as a consistent top three offensive option on the floor.  Over the entirety of the Spain trip, he averaged 14.3 points on 60 percent field goal shooting. I don’t think the offense needs to go through him on every possession, but he can certainly help get things moving on possessions that are stuck.

Jaden Akins shows persistence, but inefficiency

Jaden Akins finished second among all scorers with 16 points. Most would say that’s a good day for him, but the efficiency was concerning. He shot 21 times and just 33 percent to get there. I’m glad that he continues to keep shooting since that’s usually the best way to get out of a slump. But we need to see more consistency from him. There were far too many missed floaters and bunnies in the paint which tanked his shooting numbers. He shot 28.5% from the floor for the entirety of the trip.

Jase Richardson makes his case for minutes

Of Michigan State’s true freshman class, nobody had a better trip than Jase Richardson. He eclipsed double digits for the first time this trip, finishing with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting. He also tacked on two assists and two steals to round out his contributions. Richardson will offer a very solid backup option to Fears and Holloman at point guard, and Spartan fans should be elated with what they saw from him.

Jaxon Kohler shows range again

Jaxon Kohler gave Michigan State fans a glimmer of hope at the center. He hit yet another three-pointer today and finished the trip 3-of-7 from deep over three games. He continued to flex his strong extended post range with a handful of baseline jumpers with a hand in his face. Kohler can stretch out the defense and give the Spartans an intriguing offensive look on the floor. More importantly, he led the team in rebounding with over seven boards per game this trip.

Carson Cooper disappoints

After starting off the trip strong with a near-double-double, Carson Cooper certainly fell off the map on Tuesday. He had just one point splitting a pair of free throws at the line. Cooper grabbed two rebounds, committed two fouls, and most notably four turnovers. He is third in the pecking order behind Kohler and Szymon Zapala at the center. And I hope that this staff finally realizes they cannot continue to roll with the two-big lineup.

Summary

Michigan State looked predictably tired on Tuesday, playing their third game in six days. But they still showed some grit in keeping the game within two possessions down to the final minutes. Offensively they will be a blast to watch. But they need to show way more hustle on defense, particularly guarding from deep and going for defensive rebounds.

Their next exhibition game is on Oct. 11 against Northern Michigan, in Marquette, Mich.

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