EAST LANSING, Mich. — It was a beautiful sight, really.

The jumping, howling white and green lower bowl at the Breslin Center appeared to engulf the five-man blue and orange huddle that gathered at the free throw line. The Illini were desperately attempting to find composure after Michigan State emerged from halftime to start the first four minutes of Thursday’s second frame on a 14-0 run.

Illinois shot 48.5 percent from the field to end the first half with a 37-27 lead, Michigan State did one better. The Spartans shot 87.5 percent from the field in the second half, and spurred by a renewed energy after the break, defeated Illinois 80-75.

“The game was won in the first four to five minutes of the second half,” Illinois head coach John Groce said. “I thought they came out and punched us in the mouth.” 

In a way, Groce saw it coming. He told his team to expect an uptick in intensity from Michigan State at the start of the second half. But the Illini have also made blowing leads in East Lansing, Mich., into an art form. For the fourth time in their last five appearances at the Breslin Center, the Illini headed into halftime with a lead and left the court with their heads held low at the sound of the final buzzer. They haven’t won at Michigan State since the 2005-06 season.

“You play here against a really good Michigan State ball club on the road, you can’t come out like that,” Groce said.

And initially his team didn’t. Illinois entered Thursday’s contest losers four of its last five, but Thursday’s first half seemed to correct many of the mistakes that have plagued Groce’s team over the past month.

“They worked harder than us,” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said. “They got every loose ball. They just dominated.”

That all changed after the break.

Illinois turned the ball over four times in the first four minutes and didn’t hit a field goal until about the 13:50 mark of the second half, fueling the Michigan State run and another Illini meltdown. Turnover-induced offensive lapses have become a standard part of Illini games since the start of conference play.

“That’s unacceptable. We can’t let guys take our ball,” Groce said. “That’s two games in a row. We can’t have bobbled entry passes. We got to be more precise there.”

But once Michigan State pushed the lead to four, the Illini finally woke up. Tracy Abrams tightened the offense, scoring 12 second-half points; he finished with 16 for the night. While the offensive execution improved, defensive lapses ultimately resulted in 19 second-half fouls. Michigan State not only shot the ball efficiently from the field — it nailed 23-of-32 free throw attempts in the second half alone. The only player with meaningful playing time who finished with less than three fouls was D.J. Richardson.

“If I were to say to you: ‘Hey, you’re going to go into East Lansing and play Michigan State and they’re going to shoot 60 percent from the field and go 14-for-16 in the second half and shoot 30-something free throws. How do you like your chances, John?’ I would say ‘not very good,’” Groce said bluntly after the game.

Still, Illinois brought the game down to the wire with a solid shooting performance, draining 45 percent of its shots from the field and 36 percent from distance.

Brandon Paul added 13 points and a crucial three to cut the lead to two with 2:57 remaining, but it wasn’t enough, as Groce chastised him for his defense in the post-game presser.

Izzo figured Groce’s team would give the Spartans a fight to the end, but Michigan State closed it out by outscoring Illinois 53-38 in the second half. And now, Illinois appears swarmed, engulfed in the mess it has created over the past month.

Ethan can be reached at [email protected] and @asofthesky.