Michigan State basketball: Kyle Ahrens plays hero in Florida win
Michigan State basketball escaped Gainesville with a big win over the Florida Gators thanks to some hero ball from Kyle Ahrens.
The ball was loose. It looked like another Spartan turnover, this time giving Florida a chance to tie or take the lead with under 10 seconds left in the game, but Kyle Ahrens came to the rescue.
The junior wing had come up big two times in the final three minutes, hitting a three and a reverse layup, but nothing was bigger than what he did with under 10 seconds left. He scooped up a potential turnover with the shot clock winding down under three seconds, drove to baseline and dunked over a Florida defender, putting the game away, 63-59.
Michigan State looked to be fumbling away a 12-point second-half lead, the exact opposite of what the Spartans have been used to. Usually, Michigan State is coming back from big deficits to take leads late and shock the opponent, but the Spartans were gassed because of Florida’s intense defense.
Ahrens earned himself more minutes, yet again, thanks to his play in the final minutes and stepped up with Matt McQuaid on the bench — he did play for the first time in three games.
In a game where Cassius Winston and Josh Langford went a combined 9-for-24 from the field for a combined 23 points, the Spartans had some unlikely heroes. Oh, and Foster Loyer, Gabe Brown and Marcus Bingham Jr. didn’t play a single minute combined.
Xavier Tillman may have had the best game, contributing 14 huge points and nine rebounds with three steals. He continues to improve as the year progresses and outside of one missed layup, he was the best player on the court Saturday.
Nick Ward did have 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
The defense, too, played a strong game, not allowing many open shots and holding the Gators to just 59 points and 37 percent shooting from the floor on their home court.
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It was a scary ending, but Michigan State escaped and improved to 8-2 on the season and should move up in next week’s rankings.