Fears solid in starting role for Michigan State in Spanish tour win over Madrid All-Stars
Michigan State kicked off its basketball tour in Spain on Thursday with a 94-87 victory over the Madrid All-Stars with a starting lineup that included Jeremy Fears, Frankie Fidler, Szymon Zapala, Xavier Booker, and Jaden Akins.
Booker led all scorers with 21 points and was one of four Michigan State players in double figures against the Madrid All-Stars. Fidler was second among Spartan scoring leaders netting 14 points in the win on 6-of-8 shooting. The Omaha transfer did much of his damage inside the arc, knocking down several mid-range jumpers, a staple of his game.
Fears had a solid performance as the starting point guard for Michigan State with 10 points in the win. It was the first serious game played by Fears, a McDonald’s All-American, since he suffered a gunshot wound while home in Joliet, IL, last December.
Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler also scored in double figures for the Spartans. Kohler scored 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Cooper was 4-of-6 on the day for the Spartans.
Whereas Fears was a bright spot for Michigan State, senior guard Akins struggled against Madrid All-Stars, one point. His forgettable performance came just days after being touted as the player that the Spartans needed to lead them in scoring by head coach Tom Izzo.
Against Madrid All-Stars, Michigan State scored a good amount in transition, a staple of Spartan basketball under Izzo. In recent years, however, the break has fallen off some. That could change, however, this season given that transition basketball is being heavily emphasized by Michigan State, and the Spartans have a deeper roster than they’ve had for several years.
Michigan State led by four points after one quarter and took a 49-40 advantage at halftime, before being outscored by double digits in the third quarter and taking a two-point deficit into the fourth quarter. In the final quarter, Michigan State quickly regained the lead and held on late to pull out the win.
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Booker was one of the biggest storylines of the first half for the Spartans, scoring all but two of his team-high 21 points across the first two quarters. Booker knocked down several threes during the opening half and helped Michigan State build a sizeable halftime lead as a result.
Sophomore wing Coen Carr came up two points short of reaching double figures with eight points against the Madrid All-Star. Jase Richardson led Spartan freshmen in scoring with six points. Freshman guard Kur Teng and redshirt freshman guard Gehrig Normand scored two points apiece.
Tre Holloman scored six points coming off the bench for Michigan State.
The first game of Michigan State’s Spanish tour was streamed on Instagram Live and drew a large audience. That audience included several former Spartan players including Marcus Bingham Jr. and AJ Hoggard, who transferred out of the program following last season. Predictably, Hoggard took some grief from Spartan fans watching the game on Instagram.
Michigan State will play at least two more games during its Spanish trip, with the possibility of playing another should the opportunity arise. The Spartans play their next game in Valencia (August 18) before traveling to Barcelona for their final currently scheduled game two days later.
