Michigan State vs. Georgia: Score and Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2015

No. 10 Georgia showed great spirit late against No. 7 Michigan State on Friday, but the Bulldogs' late comeback attempt fell just short as the Spartans held on for a 70-63 victory to advance to the round of 32.

The Bulldogs found themselves down 12 with just over a minute remaining in the game, but four points each from backup forward Cameron Forte and junior guard Charles Mann brought them within four with just under 30 seconds to play.

A three-point play from Georgia guard Kenny Gaines put the score at 66-63 with 21 seconds to play, but the calm, collected Denzel Valentine sank all six of his late free throws to preserve Michigan State's advantage and prevent the favorites from suffering the same fate that befell so many higher seeds on Thursday. 

CBS Sports noted the danger that is picking against a Tom Izzo-coached squad:

Four Spartans scored at least 14 points in the game, and the team shot a steady 45.6 percent from the field.

Senior forward Branden Dawson was huge for the Spartans, notching 14 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Nearly all of that production came in the second half after he sat out the majority of the first with foul trouble.

Valentine finished with 16, senior guard Travis Trice was huge with 15 points and six assists and backup guard Bryn Forbes popped up for 14 points off the bench.

Scout.com's Evan Daniels feels Trice and Valentine will make Michigan State a tough out in this tournament:

Georgia struggled with turnovers and sloppy transition defense in the first half. Mann led all scorers with 19 points on 6-of-14 shooting on the day, while forward Marcus Thornton finished with 12 points and 10 boards for the Bulldogs.

WRBL's Dayne Young was impressed by the toughness of Gaines and Mann:

Michigan State got off to a very poor start offensively, making just one of its first six shots—a three-pointer from Trice that came three minutes and 28 seconds into the first half.

Joe Rexrode of the Detroit Free Press noted that Georgia was doing well to limit the Spartans' effectiveness in the frontcourt:

After the slow start, Michigan State found an easy rhythm for much of the first half, with the speed and decisiveness of Trice and backcourt partner Lourawls Nairn Jr. proving especially difficult for the Bulldogs to handle.

Georgia head coach Mark Fox noted prior to the game that the pace would be important to his squad's success.

"We want to play as fast as we can play well—doesn't mean that we want a track meet, but we certainly don't want a real slow game, either,'' Fox said, per MLive.com's Mike Griffith. 

Michigan State did a fantastic job of pushing the Bulldogs past their speed limit in the first half.

The Spartans took a 16-14 lead, their first of the game, at the 8:41 mark, prompting this response from Fox, per Ryan Fagan of Sporting News:

After a solid start, the Bulldogs started to wilt under the pressure from Michigan State's defense. The Spartans jammed Georgia's passing lanes, forcing multiple turnovers early on and getting easy baskets in transition as a result.

ESPN's Jeff Borzello felt the Spartans adapted well to the absence of Dawson, who got in early foul trouble:

Michigan State did an especially fine job of limiting Thornton, who notched his first points from the field with just over four minutes left in the half. 

Despite the myriad struggles, Troy Machir of Sporting News noted Georgia was still very much in the game:

However, a late 8-0 run from the Spartans—highlighted by a fast-break dunk from Trice, assisted by Valentine—gave Izzo's squad a 35-22 lead heading into the locker room.

The Bulldogs had 10 turnovers at the half, with Valentine and Nairn Jr. picking up two steals each for Michigan State. Trice led all scorers at the break with 11.

Georgia regrouped in stunning fashion after the half, sprinting out to a 15-4 run in six minutes of play, with Mann and Gaines doing much of the heavy lifting. 

Fagan noted that Gaines was playing like a man without any limitations:

Bob Leverone/Getty Images

That huge run helped the Bulldogs to pull within two, but Dawson helped the Spartans get back on track midway through the second half, scoring eight consecutive points—the first six coming on a pair of and-1s.

Forbes followed the burst of activity with a three-pointer, and just like that, the Spartans were back up to a double-digit-point lead, 52-41, with nine minutes left in the game. 

CBS Sports' Seth Davis had this to say about the Spartans' steely turnaround:

Forbes was money in the second half, notching nine points and energizing his teammates via a four-point play with just over seven minutes remaining.

Machir took stock of Georgia's issues on defense:

The Bulldogs looked like they might go on a late run when Forte cut Michigan State's lead down to 60-52 on a layup with four minutes left in the contest.

Izzo, however, smartly called for his team to slow down the tempo and limit Georgia's opportunities.

After back-to-back buckets from Dawson and Valentine put the Spartans back up by 12 with two minutes to go, the game's result became a foregone conclusion.

SNY.tv's Adam Zagoria—perhaps wary after the unprecedented madness that was Thursday's slate of games—wasn't quite ready to pen this one in for the Spartans, but he was close:

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

He was right to hold off on the Sharpie, as a stunning eight-point run from Georgia—one that took 48 seconds and was keyed by a huge J.J. Frazier block—turned the final 30 seconds into a nervy foul-fest.

However, Valentine's steady hand prevented any late-stage shenanigans, and Michigan State held on for the seven-point victory.

The Spartans will play the winner of Virginia-Belmont on Sunday. With Virginia likely to win that game, Michigan State can probably expect a close contest against the defensive-minded Cavaliers.

They likely won't be afraid to clog the lane against Michigan State and force the Spartans to come through at the charity stripe, where they shoot just 63.3 percent as a team.

The key to the game may be Michigan State's ability to knock down shots from outside, as it made seven of its 18 three-point attempts against Georgia.