Relentless in the Paint: Malik Thompson Takes Over
The second half began like a prize fight in the championship rounds—each team leaning in, throwing punches, refusing to blink. The tension inside the Thomas & Mack Center was electric. Michigan State, clinging to a narrow 37-35 lead over the scrappy University of New Mexico Lobos, knew they needed a spark. They found it in the broad shoulders and boundless energy of junior center Malik Thompson.
Coming out of the locker room, Thompson looked different. Locked in. Jaw set. Eyes unblinking. Head coach Tom Underwood had one directive for his 6’10” big man: take over. And take over he did.
Within minutes of the restart, Thompson established himself as the immovable object in the paint. New Mexico’s attempts to drive the lane were met with a relentless wall of muscle and timing. On back-to-back possessions, Thompson swatted away Lobo guard Miguel Cortez’s layup attempts—one against the glass with a thunderous smack, the next sent careening into the baseline seats. He snarled, let out a roar, and pointed at the crowd, as green-and-white fans erupted.
Offensively, he was just as punishing. Running a series of high-low sets, the Spartans fed Thompson deep in the post. He used a punishing drop-step to create space against 6’9″ Lobo forward Trey Montaigne, finishing through contact with a soft touch and a hard stare. By the 10-minute mark of the half, Thompson had secured a double-double: 14 points and 11 rebounds—five of them offensive. He wasn’t just filling the stat sheet; he was reshaping the game’s narrative.
Michigan State extended its lead to double digits, and everything revolved around their junior anchor. His presence forced New Mexico to collapse inward, opening up clean looks for Spartan sharpshooters DeVante Rollins and Luka Petrovic, who nailed back-to-back threes to cap off a 13–2 run. Thompson, arms pumping, led the transition down the court, notching an assist to Rollins with a nifty bounce pass out of a double team—a play that brought even Underwood to his feet.
But Thompson’s impact wasn’t limited to the stat sheet. He was vocal, constantly barking out switches, calling help, slapping the hardwood on defense. He boxed out like it was life or death, diving for loose balls, crashing the boards like each possession was his last.
New Mexico mounted one final push with under five minutes to go, trimming the lead to six. But Thompson answered yet again, sealing the game with a powerful two-handed dunk off a pick-and-roll with Petrovic, drawing the foul and the collective breath of the Lobo bench. As he flexed beneath the rim, chest heaving, the message was clear: not tonight.
Michigan State walked off the court with a 74–65 win, but it was Malik Thompson who walked away with the night. In a game defined by grit and willpower, the junior center didn’t just survive the battle in the paint—he owned it.
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