Michigan State handles Toledo with ease, 92-69, to improve to 10-1 on the season
Michigan State dominated Toledo from the start, building an early lead with a first-half Jaxon Kohler double-double and balanced contributions from the bench.
The No. 9-ranked Michigan State men's basketball team returned to the Breslin Center on Tuesday night looking to clean up the mistakes that nearly cost the Spartans a road win at Penn State this past weekend, and MSU did just that with a dominating 92-69 win against the Toledo Rockets.
After committing 17 turnovers in Saturday’s narrow 76-72 victory over the Nittany Lions, Michigan State made sure to emphasize ball security and defensive rebounding out of the gate, yet were still sloppy with 15 turnovers, including nine in the second half, but were able to make up for it with 54 rebounds. Another Achilles' heel for the Spartans this season has been their long-range shooting, and missed layups have also been somewhat of a problem, but shots seemed to be cleaned up quickly, with six players hitting from behind the arc against the Rockets.
Overall, Michigan State shot 34-for-67 (51%), and went 10-for-23 from 3-point range. Toledo shot just 36% overall (23-for-64) and 37% from deep range (10-for-27).
A big storyline entering the night was the return of Divine Ugochukwu to the starting lineup after making his first start as a Spartan on Saturday against Penn State. Against the Nittany Lions, Ugochukwu produced a career-high 23-point performance that included 5-for-5 shooting from 3-point range. He got the start again on Tuesday against the Rockets and finished with just two points and one rebound.
MSU’s offense attacked Toledo from inside the paint and from the perimeter, while managing to out-rebound the Rockets by 30 (54-24), crafting a complete team win.
First Half
The Spartans showed early control in the opening minutes against Toledo, with Jaxon Kohler, arguably MSU’s most reliable shooter from 3-point range, setting the tone early by knocking down an early triple. Despite an early turnover from Coen Carr, the Spartans maintained control with Carson Cooper getting to the free-throw line twice in the early minutes and converting on three of his four free-throw attempts to keep the offense moving.
Offensive production came from all over, with Jeremy Fears Jr. sparking a surge, cleaning up a miss with a putback, and finding his 3-point shot. Fresh off the bench, Kur Teng made an immediate impact, knocking down a 3-pointer on his first shot attempt, and following Fears' triple, the Spartans took a 20-6 lead with 14:37 to play in the first half.
Kohler continued to dominate the first half on every level, picking up double-digit points within the first eight minutes of play. He ended the first half with 14 points and 11 rebounds, securing a double-double in just 20 minutes of action.
The bench continued to provide energy as Jesse McCulloch picked up an early dunk and a 3-pointer, bringing the Breslin Center crowd to a roar. Defensively, the Spartans were able to shut down Toledo from finding any offensive rhythm, with freshman Cam Ward getting involved, contributing on the glass. Ward eventually finished the game with six rebounds to go along with five points.
At halftime, Michigan State had full control of the game. Through the first 20 minutes of play, the Spartans were led by Kohler's dominant double-double, Fears' consistent assists and defensive dominance, giving MSU its largest halftime lead this season, heading into the locker room up 58-28.
Second Half
Toledo opened the second half with a brief scoring burst, picking up the first five points off the half to cut the deficit to 58-33, but the Rockets' momentum was short-lived, and MSU reestablished control and mirrored its strong opening 20-minutes. Ugochukwu answered with a layup to jumpstart the Spartans' second half scoring, followed by Fears picking up two points from the free-throw line.
Carr, who was quiet in the first half, often changes the momentum in games and gets Breslin Center rocking with his usual highlight-reel plays, and he did so again by rejecting Toledo’s attempt at the rim and racing down the court to pick up a powerful dunk. By the first media timeout, the Spartans maintained their 28-point lead.
MSU continued to dominate the glass, with Kohler battling for an offensive rebound and converting a layup to give him 16 points, which he finished the game with. McCulloch proved his physical presence during a stretch with a defensive rebound to give the Green and White possession, followed by an offensive board extending the possession.
Michigan State’s lead continued to swell when Teng knocked down a triple, extending the Spartans' lead to 31 points, 73-42 with 12:11 left to play, but MSU seemed to get too comfortable with its cushiony lead. Toledo was able to go on a 9-1 run midway through the second half and forced six turnovers on MSU’s nine possessions, cutting the deficit to 21 points, 78-57, with 5:27 remaining on the clock.
Despite the slowed-down second-half performance, the Spartans finished out the game with back-to-back 3-pointers from the Walton twins — with Colin hitting the first one and Brennan hitting the second one — resulting in a 92-69 final score.
The Spartans recorded 26 assists, and the 92 points were a season-high. Four separate Spartans scored in double-digits: Kohler (16), Fears (15), Carr (14) and Teng (14).
Michigan State showed its ability to respond after a sloppy performance against Penn State, highlighting its growth and depth, delivering a complete performance, and beating Toledo by 23 points. The dominant win reinforces MSU as one of the nation’s top teams, with cleaned-up mistakes and confidence on both sides of the ball.
After moving to 10-1 on the 2025-2026 season, the Spartans will look to continue this momentum on Saturday, taking on in-state opponent, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, at Little Caesars Arena (Big Ten Network).