DETROIT, Mich. — No. 20 Michigan State earned its third double-digit victory on Tuesday, defeating Oakland, 77-58, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

The score wasn’t a very accurate representation of the meeting, as Oakland tested the Spartans for most of the game — it wasn’t until late in the second half that the Spartans really began to pull away.

Michigan State had just a 1-point lead at halftime, having only scored 31 points through the first 20 minutes. But halftime adjustments were made, and the Spartans eventually found an offensive rhythm while locking down the Golden Grizzlies on defense, holding Oakland to just 28 points in the second half.

Michigan State had three players finish in double figures in the scoring column — sophomore forward Xavier Booker, who recorded a career-high 18 points, senior guard Jaden Akins, who posted 16 and junior forward Jaxon Kohler, who earned his third straight double-double, scoring 14 points while grabbing 10 boards.

Our Michigan State beat reporter, Aidan Champion, recaps the contest on this latest postgame edition of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast.

You can watch the episode below:

Below is a partial transcript from Michigan State coach Tom Izzo’s opening statement of his postgame press conference:

Izzo: “For the people down here — I mean, there’s part of me that hates this game, I’ve said it every year — but you got to give Kampe credit, man. The time he’s put in there, the job he’s done, the different lineups he’s had to play, the injuries he’s going through. I thought the kid, No. 7, who’s been out, [Isaiah] Jones, the other Jones, I mean, this team is going to be damn good, and that league, I think, is going to be really good. Now, we didn’t come with the same defensive intensity the first half, and they caused some of it. I thought Jeremy Fears, of all the people, when you talk about a guy that has one basket and really not as many assists as normal — four assists — I thought he won us the game just because of the job he did on [DQ] Cole. And he asked for him at halftime, and I said, ‘Sure.’ And that was the difference in the game. We had some other guys that played pretty well. [Xavier] Booker, of course, came in. Jaxon [Kohler] gets another double-double, which was really big on his part. … I can’t thank our crowd enough, and hopefully Oakland’s crowd too, but the number of people from Michigan State that showed up, that’s why I play it, so people that never see us can see us. And a lot of times, those people don’t get to get into Breslin, and I greatly appreciate it, the way they were.”

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ELBERTA, MI – After a “Herculean” fundraising effort, 35 acres of land on the shores of Lake Michigan and Betsie Bay have been purchased by a Northern Michigan land conservancy.

The project in Elberta will result in a nature preserve, an expanded municipal park, a trail extension and economic development – and save this shoreline area from commercial development, officials said.

The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy secured gifts and pledges of $19.5M in less than six months, meeting the Dec. 15 deadline to purchase the land.

This was “the largest funding needed for a single property in the conservancy’s 33-year history,” said Jennifer Jay, director of communications and engagement for the conservancy. That, coupled with the short timeline to raise the money, made this purchase a “Herculean effort,” she said.

More than 600 families donated to the project with the smallest gift coming in at $7 and the largest at $9 million. More than 200 gifts were from first-time donors.

“People who love Benzie County really love Benzie County, and they want to retain the small-town character of the shoreline communities like Elberta and Frankfort,” said Glen Chown, the conservancy’s executive director. “People gave from their hearts to ensure a future for Elberta that aligns with the community’s vision.”

The property was recently targeted for a large resort development, but that plan was withdrawn.

The land extends from Elberta Beach to the Historic Waterfront Park and then to the village’s northern edge with 578 feet of Lake Michigan frontage and 3,120 feet on Betsie Bay, plus 10 acres of dunes.

Plans for the 35 acres include a 10-acre nature preserve managed by the conservancy. This area includes steep, forested critical dunes.

The conservancy plans to transfer 16 acres to the village of Elberta to be used as a community park. This area near the Elberta Pier at the mouth of Betsie Bay, includes 578 feet of Lake Michigan shoreline and 2,000 feet of Betsie Bay shoreline. This will allow the Betsie Valley Trail to extend through the property, connecting Frankfort’s and Elberta’s Lake Michigan beaches.

The final 9 acres, including 1,120 feet of Betsie Bay shoreline, has been set aside for economic development; the Michigan Land Bank Authority will lead this effort.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $27.5 million. Fundraising for the last $8 million has already begun.