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Michigan State blows out Butler 73-52 behind big games from Christie, Brown
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Max Christie put on a show and Michigan State ran away from Butler Wednesday night for a 73-52 win.
After a pair of single-digit scoring efforts in his first 2 games as a Spartan, the freshman phenom had it rolling against the Bulldogs. He scored 18 points on just 9 shots, got to the free throw line, and showed off the range. There was a floater in traffic, a 3-ball in transition, and some nice burst to blow by his man and get to the bucket.
But it wasn’t just Christie who had a big game. Marcus Bingham Jr. had a career-high 6 blocks to go with his 10 points (4-of-4 shooting) and 6 boards. Gabe Brown had a game-high 19 points and 6 rebounds thanks to 4 made triples.
The Spartans had a 31-23 halftime lead thanks to strong defense—Butler shot just 26% in the first half—and then blew the game open after the break. MSU had a 10-0 scoring run early and limited the Bulldogs to just one made bucket from the field in the first 6 minutes of the second half.
There was also a 10-3 scoring run for the Spartans and a 9-1 close over the game’s final 2:12. Butler shot just 29% from the field in the game and 7-for-26 inside the 3-point line. MSU dominated in the painted area with 8 blocked shots, a 41-25 rebounding advantage, and a 24-10 edge in paint points.
The season began with an 87-74 loss to No. 3 Kansas in New York on Nov. 9, but the Spartans have rebounded nicely in the 2 games since. Against Western Michigan and Butler, the Spartans have outscored their last 2 opponents by 65 combined points.
The Spartans (2-1) return to action on Saturday against Eastern Michigan (1-1), with tip-off set for 5 p.m. ET.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.