Michigan State comes into the Maui Invitational as the No. 2 team in the country. Conventional wisdom says Division II Chaminade shouldn’t be a problem for the Spartans, but the first half has been anything but what we expected. At halftime in Maui, Michigan State and Chaminade are tied at 39. Bet you didn’t predict that one.
Chaminade used a strong scoring outburst from Steven Bennett and DeAndre Haskins in the first half. Bennett led the Silverstorms with 13 points while Haskins added 11. On the boards, 7-foot-0 center Mamadou Diarra, a transfer from USC, pulled down five boards while adding eight points.
As expected, Kalin Lucas led the Spartans, and all scorers, with 14 first half points. It was a balanced scoring attack behind him, with no other Michigan State players in double figures. Delvon Roe and Korie Lucious each added six points in the half. Roe also added four rebounds.
Will it last? Doubtful, but the first half has been entertaining and unexpected, at the very least.