McCulloch Leads Three in Double Figures as Michigan State Beats Incarnate Word, 89-59, in the Izzone Campout Game

Friday, October 2

East Lansing, Mich.

7PM

Michigan State University

0-0,0-0Big Ten

Incarnate Word

0-0,0-0Southland

Team	1	2	F
UIW	23	36	59
Michigan St.	45	44	89

Photo by: Matthew Mitchell Photography

10/2/2026 9:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Redshirt sophomore forward Jesse McCulloch scored 20 points and redshirt junior guard Jeremy Fears Jr. had a double-double with 10 points and 13 assists as Michigan State's men's basketball team opened the 2026-27 exhibition season with an 83-54 win over the University of the Incarnate Word in the Izzone Campout Game on Friday night at the Breslin Center.

McCulloch hit 8-of-13 shots from the floor, including a pair from 3-point land, while adding five rebounds, one assist and two steals to lead three players in double figures.

Fears scored 10 points, handed out a game-high 12 assists and had six steals, while sophomore forward Jordan Scott added 16 points and five rebounds.

Recap

Michigan State led from start-to-finish, taking an 14-point lead in the first nine minutes and led by 22 at the break, 45-23.
In the second half, the Spartans pushed the lead to 24 points, 52-28, after a conventional three-point play from McCulloch at the 16:39 mark.
Incarnate Word, out of the Southland Conference, scored eight-straight points over a span of 1:41 and pulled to within 52-36 on a layup from Kaleb Spencer, forcing MSU to call a timeout with 13:42 left.
A steal and layup from freshman guard Jasiah Jervis pushed the MSU lead back to 18 points, 54-36, but a 3-pointer from Brandon McReesh and a fast break layup from Mekhi Connor pulled the Cardinals to within 13 points, 54-41, at 11:36.
The Spartans quickly regrouped, using an 18-2 run over 3:19 to take a 72-43 lead when Fears fed senior forward Coen Carr for an alleyoop layup with 8:10 play.
The run started on a 3-pointer from junior guard Kur Teng and included shots from long distance from McCulloch and Scott as five different players scored during the run
The MSU lead hit 30 points, 77-74, on a jumper from Jervis with 6:45 left and the Spartans took their biggest lead, 80-47, when senior center Anton Bonke drilled a 3-pointer with 6:06 to play.

Key Stats

MSU shot 52.3 percent from the floor (34-of-65), including 43.3 percent from 3-point land (13-of-30).
The Spartans handed out 25 assists on 34 made field goals.
MSU's bench contributed 33 points.
The Spartans held a 39-23 advantage in rebounding.
Six different players hit shots from 3-point land for the Spartans.

Notes

This was the first of three exhibition games for the Spartans.
The Spartans will host UConn on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at the Breslin Center. The game will tip at 7 p.m. and will be available on B1G+.
MSU closes out exhibition play on Sunday, Oct. 25 at Marquette.

Up Next
The Spartans will host UConn on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at the Breslin Center. The game will tip at 7 p.m. and will be available on B1G+.