EAST LANSING — In a season that feels increasingly lost, Michigan basketball had a chance Tuesday night to find itself, even if only for the moment.

Instead, it was more of the same second-half flopping in a 81-62 loss to Michigan State at Breslin Center. The Wolverines led nearly the entire first half but got punched in the mouth out of the break: Following a Nimari Burnett 3-pointer, MSU made seven straight field goals as part of a 16-1 blitz covering 3:23, turning a five-point deficit into a 10-point lead.

Terrance Williams II scored U-M's next seven points to keep the game within seven, but Michigan's defense didn't string enough stops together to get any closer.

MONEY MADE: University of Michigan athletic department: $4 million surplus for 2023 fiscal year

With more than 10 minutes left in the second half, Tuesday's game felt out of reach after Tarris Reed Jr. missed a pair of free throws (sending the Breslin crowd into a frenzy as it made their tickets redeemable for free McNuggets afterward) and Tyson Walker followed on the other end with an three-point play on a layup to make it 61-46.

In all, MSU made 13 of its first 17 second-half shots, capped by Carson Cooper's dunk to make it 63-48.

Michigan was shorthanded — leading scorer Dug McDaniel is still suspended for road games while he addresses academic issues — but Jaelin Llewellyn gave perhaps the best minutes of his time in maize and blue.

He set a personal high as a Wolverine with 18 points, fueled by for 3-pointers on six attempts, but didn't have enough help. Williams scored 14, Olivier Nkamhoua scored nine and Burnett and Tray Jackson each scored eight.

The game might have remained close had Michigan not stuggled so much at the line, making just 14 of 26 free throws (53.8%). Then again, the Wolverines made just six of 24 shots (25%) in the second half, with just three 3-pointers on 11 tries (27.3%).

The defense struggled all night, particularly with Jaden Akins, MSU's junior wing who hit a career-high seven 3-pointers and led all scorers with 23 points. A.J. Hoggard finished with 15 points and seven assists for the Spartans while Walker and Hall each scored 12.

Michigan has now lost four consecutive games, nine of its past 10 (dating back to mid-December) and 14 of its past 18 (dating back to mid-November. Even worse: it was not only Tom Izzo's 69th birthday, the Spartans' coach picked up the 700th victory of his career.

When it all flipped

Michigan led 35-28 after a Llewellyn 3 with 1:42 to play in the first half, but the Wolverines didn't score again before the intermission. MSU did, however, entering the break with momentum after a 5-0 spurt to make it a two-point deficit.

After Burnett's 3, the floodgates turned green-and-white: Malik Hall hit a fadeaway in the lane, Hoggard hit a slashing layup, Hall followed with another scooping layup for the tie and then, after it appeared U-M had an offensive rebound to stem the tide, Walker stole the ball from Llewellyn from behind and went the other way for a layup and a two-point lead.

MSU never trailed again as U-M's defense resumed its porous second-half ways.

Continuing the Spartans' run, Hoggard threw a skip pass to Jaden Akins for a corner 3-pointer, Hall made another basket and Akins hit yet another transition 3 to cap the 16-1 run— in all, a 21-4 stretch going back to final 78 seconds of the first half.

Michigan's red-hot first half

The Wolverines couldn't have asked for anything more to open; after falling behind 5-3 early and missing two of their first three shots, they went on a heater offensively.

U-M made 10 of its next 11 shots from the floor as almost everybody who was on the court got in on the action: A Burnett 3-pointer gave U-M an 8-5 lead, then after Tre Hollomon answered with a 3, Michigan didn't miss a shot from the field for more than 9 minutes.

Llewellyn hit a 3-pointer with 1 second left on the shot clock, Reed Jr. followed with a lefty hook, then after a Llewellyn floater made it a seven-point game, it was Reed's turn for a desperation 3-pointer — the first of his career — as the shot clock expired to put U-M up 18-9 with 11:25 left in the half.

But the offense was only getting started. After MSU trimmed its deficit to four, Tray Jackson — wearing a black mask to protect his broken nose — hit consecutive slashing layups.

Then, Williams and Nkamhoua — who sat 10 of the first 13 minutes with foul trouble — hit consecutive midrange jumpers to extend the field-goal streak to eight and the lead to 27-21.

U-M finally missed a shot when Coen Carr swatted a Nkamhoua dunk attempt. But U-M retained possession and Nkamhoua made a layup off the inbound pass to extend the lead back to six.

Michigan cooled off soon after, making just two of its final seven attempts from the field. Still, both were Llewellyn 3s — giving him three in the half — with the last putting Michigan up seven.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball folds in 2nd half of 81-62 loss to Michigan State