EAST LANSING, Mich. (Interstat) — In a defensive struggle emblematic of early-season marquee matchups, the Duke Blue Devils grinded out a 66-60 victory over the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday afternoon at a sold-out Breslin Center. The win preserved Duke’s perfect record, moving them to 10-0, while handing Michigan State its first loss of the season, dropping the Spartans to 8-1.

The game, played in front of 14,797 fans, was a stark contrast to the offensive fireworks many anticipated. Both teams combined to shoot just 32.2% from the field, with Duke’s slightly more efficient 38.2% clip and crucial late-game execution proving to be the difference. The contest was characterized by physical defense, missed opportunities, and a pivotal second-half stretch where Duke’s star forward, Cameron Boozer, took control.

The first half was a tense, back-and-forth affair that saw 10 lead changes and neither team able to establish a significant advantage. Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears orchestrated the Spartan offense with precision, dishing out 13 assists, many of which found Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler for finishes inside. Duke countered with timely three-point shooting, hitting five in the half, including two from Nikolas Khamenia, who scored all 10 of his points before intermission. The Spartans took a narrow 34-31 lead into the break, fueled by a 17-6 advantage in fast-break points.

The most important part of the game unfolded over the final 12 minutes of the second half. With Michigan State holding a 45-42 lead after a Jordan Scott three-pointer, Duke embarked on the decisive run. It was spearheaded almost entirely by Cameron Boozer. The 6-foot-9 sophomore from Miami scored 12 of his game-high 18 points in the second half, showcasing a versatile arsenal. He ignited the 14-2 run with a powerful layup, then followed it with a critical three-pointer off a Caleb Foster assist to give Duke a lead it would not relinquish.

During this stretch, Duke’s defense, which had been solid all afternoon, tightened into a vice. The Blue Devils held Michigan State without a field goal for over five minutes, forcing tough shots and capitalizing on Spartan misses. While the Spartans continued to battle on the glass, securing 11 offensive rebounds to Duke’s 8, they could not convert those second chances efficiently, shooting a frigid 31.8% for the game. Duke’s ability to limit Michigan State to just 26 second-half points, on 8-of-31 shooting, was the foundation of the comeback.

Michigan State made several pushes to close the gap in the final minutes. A Carson Cooper layup, assisted by Fears, cut the Duke lead to 57-55 with just 46 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession, however, Duke’s Foster delivered the dagger, draining a deep three-pointer from the wing with 15 seconds left after a scramble, pushing the lead back to five and effectively sealing the outcome. Cooper led Michigan State with 16 points and 9 rebounds, while Kohler added 14 points.

Statistically, the game was a mirror image in many categories, with each team recording 5 assists, 5 steals, and committing a nearly identical number of turnovers. The difference came at the free-throw line, where Duke attempted 23 shots to Michigan State’s 14, and in three-point percentage, where the Blue Devils connected on 31% to the Spartans’ 36.4%. Duke’s offensive rating of 100.1 on 66 possessions narrowly bested Michigan State’s 90.0 on 67 trips, underscoring the game’s grind-it-out nature.

The victory marks another significant early-season test passed for Duke, which entered the game as a slight underdog according to the betting spread. They have now navigated a challenging non-conference slate that included wins over Kansas, Texas, and Arkansas. For Michigan State, the loss snaps an eight-game winning streak but provides a clear benchmark against elite competition as they head into Big Ten play. Both teams now look ahead to their final exams break before returning to action next week.