Kalin Lucas had 25 points and five assists as No.8 Michigan State got a better challenge than expected in a 77-76 victory over Oakland Saturday at The Palace at Auburn Hills.

Michigan State (7-3) couldn’t shake the Grizzlies, perhaps showing the after-effects of recent losses to No.1 Duke and No. 7 Syracuse.

Oakland led 32-30, before a pair of free throws by Lucas and a short jumper by Draymond Green gave the Spartans the lead with three minutes left in the first half. The Spartans' 39-35 halftime lead was their biggest of the first half.

Michigan State opened up some breathing room after a 10-0 run, sparked by a 3-pointer and a dunk by Keith Appling. They built a 49-39 lead with 16:33 left. Michigan State led comfortably between four and 10 points before a last-minute rally got Oakland within one on three 3-pointers by Reggie Hamilton in the final eight seconds.

Larry Wright scored 21 points and Keith Benson added 17 and 12 rebounds for Oakland (5-5), which has dropped 10 straight in the series.