Jaxon Kohler Sets the Tone Early as No. 9 Michigan State Rolls Past Toledo
Jaxon Kohler came out like a man on a mission Tuesday night, and by the time Toledo figured out what hit them, the game was already slipping out of reach. The senior forward and team captain wasted no time asserting himself, delivering a first-half performance that left little doubt about the outcome. With Kohler leading the charge, No. 9-ranked Michigan State cruised to a 92-69 win over visiting Toledo, securing their 10th win of the season and improving to 10-1 overall (2-0 Big Ten).
From the opening tip, Kohler played with urgency and purpose. He was relentless around the rim, attacking the glass with authority and finishing through contact.
By the midway point of the first half, he had personally outscored Toledo 14-12. That early burst gave the Spartans a double-digit lead they never relinquished-and it set the tone for a night of complete control.
Kohler finished with 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting, 13 rebounds, and three assists. Most of that damage came in the opening minutes, as he tallied all 14 of his first-half points in the first nine minutes. By halftime, he already had a double-double, and Michigan State had built a 30-point cushion.
While Kohler was the spark, he wasn’t alone in fueling the Spartans’ dominant showing. Freshman point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. continued to look like a rising star, contributing 15 points, eight assists, and three rebounds.
His poise and playmaking helped keep the offense humming. Off the bench, sophomore sharpshooter Kur Teng gave MSU a major boost, knocking down 4-of-5 from beyond the arc en route to 14 points.
Forward Coen Carr added 14 of his own, with seven coming in the second half to help close things out.
The stat sheet tells a story of dominance. Michigan State crushed Toledo on the boards, 54-24.
They owned the paint, 40-16. And they ran the floor with purpose, outscoring the Rockets 36-16 in fast-break points.
Even with a few sloppy stretches-15 turnovers in total-the Spartans never let the lead dip below 19 over the final 20 minutes.
Toledo’s lone bright spot was guard Sonny Wilson. The Pontiac native poured in a game-high 29 points on 10-of-15 shooting and added five assists.
He was aggressive, efficient, and fearless, doing everything he could to keep the Rockets afloat. Leroy Blyden Jr. was the only other Toledo player in double figures with 10 points, but the supporting cast just couldn’t match up with Michigan State’s depth and physicality.
This one was effectively over early. After Kohler opened the scoring with a layup, MSU pushed the lead to double digits just five minutes in, thanks to a Teng three-pointer. Fears followed with a triple of his own, then Kohler went on a personal 9-0 run to stretch the lead to 17 before the midway point of the first half.
Even when the Spartans hit a brief cold spell-missing eight straight shots-freshman Jordan Scott stepped up with a mid-range jumper to stop the bleeding. Moments later, Cam Ward converted a three-point play, and the lead ballooned past 20.
MSU closed the half on an 11-0 run, capped by two more Teng threes, and went into the locker room up 58-28. At that point, Toledo was shooting just 29.4% from the field and getting dominated on the glass.
The second half was more about maintaining focus than fighting for control. Toledo opened with a mini 5-0 run, but Carr answered with a pair of highlight-reel dunks that reignited the Breslin Center crowd.
Wilson continued to battle, trimming the lead to 25 with just over eight minutes to play and then to 23 with a bucket at the 5:43 mark. But every time the Rockets made a push, MSU had an answer.
Scott found Jesse McCulloch for a dunk to end a brief scoring drought, and from there, the Spartans coasted to the finish. The final moments gave fans a feel-good ending, as walk-ons Colin and Brennan Walton each buried three-pointers in the final minute, putting the exclamation point on a wire-to-wire win.
Next up for Michigan State: a trip to Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena on Saturday for their annual showdown with Oakland. If Kohler and company bring the same energy they showed against Toledo, the Spartans will be tough to stop heading into the heart of Big Ten play.