EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Oakland men's basketball team fell behind in the second half and couldn't come back against Michigan State and fell, 79-62, tonight inside the Breslin Center.
 
The Golden Grizzlies (6-6, 1-1 HL) saw three players record double-digit points as Trey Townsend led the game with 17, followed by Rocket Watts with 16. Watts shot great from the floor at a .700 clip, while Chris Conway led the team off the glass with six rebounds.
 
The Spartans (6-5, 0-2 B1G) also had three players in the double-digits, with Tyson Walker accounting for 14 points on 5-of-12 from the floor. Mady Sissoko and Carson Cooper both led the Spartans with a game-high eight rebounds.
 
Michigan State came out the gates firing and scored the first six points of the contest, but a nice move under the basket from Watts put the Golden Grizzlies on the board. A block from Conway sent the Golden Grizzlies racing down the floor and settled it before Blake Lampman drilled a three to make it 6-5 early. The Spartans answered with a jumper, but Lampman answered as well to keep it a one-point game.
 
The Spartans stretched its lead to 15-7 and scored seven-straight before Oakland put a halt to its run with a two. Michigan State played tough, but the Golden Grizzlies held its own to compete in the final 10 of the opening half.
 
Down eight, Townsend muscled his way to the hoop and put some finesse on his fadeaway, followed by another Lampman make from range to make it 19-16. Two free throws pushed the Spartans lead to five, but a bucket from downtown from Lampman once again, this time as the shot clock expired, put it back at a two-point game with 4:32 to play.
 
However, nine-straight points from the Spartans and a 3:56 scoring drought for the Golden Grizzlies gave Michigan State its first double-digit point lead of the night at 30-19. Conway put Oakland back on the board with a strong finish from the baseline to put the deficit to nine. One make from the charity stripe from Townsend put the Golden Grizzlies down eight headed into the locker room, 30-22.
 
Lampman led the Golden Grizzlies in the opening 20 with nine points (3-of-8 FG) while Conway led the Oakland stat sheet in boards. Both teams struggled on the floor in the opening 20 as the Golden Grizzlies made nine shots from the field with three from deep, while the Spartans shot at a .380 clip off 12 makes. Michigan State led the glass with 24 compared to Oakland's 17 and attributed 12 points from its bench.
 
The Spartans opened up the half with a three, but Conway put one up from the paint to make it a nine-point game. Michigan State scored four-straight to put the Golden Grizzlies deficit at double-digits and hung around there for the following 2:28 until Conway hit a turnaround jumper to cut it back to nine.
 
Michigan State grabbed a quick seven points after a three with a foul, followed by another one from range to make it 46-30 in favor of the Spartans. Michigan State continued to tack it on and grew its lead to 20 with 12:38 to play. Townsend got three back to cut into the team's deficit and attempt a comeback in East Lansing, but the Spartans kept answering.
 
DQ Cole and Gohlke drilled a pair of threes, with a Spartan make from range in-between, followed by a block from Cole gave the Golden Grizzlies the ball with under 9:00 to go. Michigan State started to run away with the game, however, and grew a lead as large as 27 to make an Oakland comeback difficult as it eventually fell, 79-62.
 
The Golden Grizzlies nearly doubled its point total from the first half off 14-of-32 (.438) from the floor with six makes from range. Unlike the first half, Oakland outrebounded the Spartans, 16-15, in the second half and matched the Spartans 14 points off the bench. In total, the Golden Grizzlies shot 23-of-63 (.365) from the floor while the Spartans nearly eclipsed the 50.0% mark off 29-of-59 (.492) from the field. The Golden Grizzlies dominated the offensive glass and brought down 16 boards on its end.
 
The Golden Grizzlies continue play on the road in its final non-conference game of the regular season with a tilt at Dayton. Tip-off from the UD Arena is set for 7:00 p.m. ET. All Oakland games this season will be live streamed through audio via The Bet1270 AM (WXYT-AM) & the Audacy App with Neal Ruhl on the call.