Michigan State University Spartans Head Coach Tom Izzo, forward Miles Bridges and New Providence Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn following the Spartans' semifinal loss to Baylor University. (Photo: 10th Year Seniors)
After After playing a spirited, gutsy game against the St. John's University in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament on Wednesday, Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn and the Michigan State University Spartans looked flat and unenthused yesterday in a 73-58 loss to the Baylor University Bears.
Nairn finished with five points on 2-3 shooting from the field. He also pulled down six rebounds and handed out three assists.
"I know our schedule is kind of tough, but we can't make excuses," said Nairn. "We have to do a better job with what we have and we just didn't get it done."
It was a tale of two halves for the Spartans. They led 33-30 at the break, but were outscored 43-25 in the second half.
The Bears jumped out of the break on a 12-2 run and went on to shoot 55 percent in the period. With Baylor surging, the Spartans failed to respond.
Michigan State went seven minutes between baskets spanning halftime as Baylor made its push.
"I don't know if we just ran out of gas in the second half," said Spartans head coach Tom Izzo.
"You have to give credit to Baylor. I thought they came out and punched us right in the mouth and I didn't think we responded. I don't think that's the way our make-up is. I'm going to make a bit of an excuse, even though I know I'm going to be ripped apart. But I planned a schedule that may have been too tough. And with this team, I don't think we have enough pieces to make a quick turnaround like that."
Injuries to key Spartan big men also proved to be critical, as the Bears' front line scored easy and often during the run.
Baylor forward Johnathan Motley scored 20 of his 26 points in the first half to push his Bears into Friday's championship game, while freshman Miles Bridges scored 15 to lead Michigan State.
With the win, the Bears moved to a perfect 5-0 on the season. As for the Spartans, they now sit at 3-3.
The Bears have now picked up two wins against ranked teams in just over a week. In their first two games in The Bahamas, they notched a tough win over Virginia Commonwealth University and then routed the Spartans.
Randy Smith, Guardian Sports Reporter
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