Khamenia scores 19 as UConn beats Michigan State 78-70 in exhibition

Nik Khamenia scored 19 points and UConn made 10 three-pointers to beat Michigan State 78-70 on Tuesday night, giving the Huskies, No. 4 in the Oct. 19 Associated Press preseason poll, a road exhibition win at the Breslin Center before the regular season begins.

Silas Demary Jr. added 16 points and four assists, and freshman Colben Landrew finished with 13 points and five rebounds. UConn had 21 assists on 27 baskets and held Michigan State, No. 6 in that poll, to 3-for-20 shooting from three-point range. The game does not count toward either team's regular-season record.

Khamenia, a transfer from Duke, made six of 11 shots and grabbed six rebounds. He was one of three Huskies to score in double figures, alongside Demary and Landrew.

The Spartans opened the second half with six straight points to cut UConn's lead to 30-28. Landrew answered with a basket inside and then a corner three, helping the Huskies move back ahead by five. Later, consecutive threes from Junior County and Nils Machowski stretched the lead to 56-48 and prompted a Michigan State timeout.

Machowski connected again, and Landrew followed with a three-point play. UConn led 64-50 with 6:53 remaining. Michigan State never got closer than seven after that sequence.

Jeremy Fears Jr. led the Spartans with 23 points, eight assists and three steals, according to the official gamebook. He made 12 of 14 free throws, accounting for nearly half of Michigan State's 25 makes at the line. Jasiah Jervis added 11 points.

The free throws helped keep Michigan State in range on a difficult shooting night. The Spartans made 21 of 53 field-goal attempts, or 39.6%, while UConn finished 27-for-57, or 47.4%. Michigan State held a 37-34 rebounding edge, including 16 offensive rebounds, but could not turn that advantage into enough efficient offense.

Connecticut's own foul shooting left room for improvement. The Huskies went 14-for-22 at the line, and starting center Na'jai Hines fouled out after scoring eight points in 17 minutes. Braylon Mullins did not play, leaving UConn another exhibition to assess combinations before its games begin to count.

UConn led 30-22 at halftime. Both teams scored 48 points after the break, leaving the Huskies with the same eight-point margin at the final buzzer.

The Huskies finish their preseason against Purdue on Oct. 27 at PeoplesBank Arena, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern. Michigan State travels to Marquette for its final exhibition on Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. Eastern.