National Basketball Association
Michigan St 96, Virginia Tech 77
When: 9:30 PM ET, Friday, November 22, 2013
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Officials:
# Chris Beaver, # Brian O'Connell, # Ray Perone
Attendance:
N/A
By SportsDirect Inc.
No. 1 Michigan State 96, Virginia Tech 77: Adreian Payne scored 20 of his career-high 29 points in the first half as the Spartans advanced to the championship game of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic with a crisp victory over the Hokies at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
After not looking particularly impressive in two games following its triumph over then-No. 1 Kentucky on Nov. 12, Michigan State (5-0) finally put together a performance worthy of the nation's top-ranked team. Payne fueled the effort by making 10-of-15 shots, including four 3-pointers in six attempts, while Gary Harris (19), Keith Appling (13) and Branden Dawson (12) also scored in double figures.
The Spartans, who forced 17 turnovers and committed only six, will face Oklahoma in Saturday's title game after the Sooners stunned Seton Hall by scoring the final seven points to win 86-85. The Hokies (3-2), who will face the Pirates in Saturday's consolation game, were led in this one by Adam Smith's 27 points and Jarell Eddie's 23.
Michigan State scored the final seven points of the first half, capped by two free throws and a 3-pointer by Payne, to take a 46-33 advantage into the locker room. Payne finished 6-of-9 in the opening 20 minutes, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, and added six rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Payne's jumper early in the second half ignited a 21-6 run that eliminated any potential drama, and his dunk with less than five minutes left broke his previous career high of 26 points. Payne and Dawson added 10 rebounds apiece for the Spartans, who led by as many as 30 points down the stretch.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Eddie scored 17 points in the first half. The rest of his team had 16 points combined. ... Harris missed his first 10 3-point attempts before converting his final two tries from long range. He finished 6-of-19 from the field. ... The game featured an impressive display of free-throw shooting as Payne and Harris each went 5-for-5, while Virginia Tech went 14-of-15 as a team.
Top Game Performances
| Virginia Tech |
|
Michigan St |
|
Adam Smith 27 |
Scoring |
Adreian Payne 29 |
|
Adam Smith 5 |
Assists |
Keith Appling 7 |
|
C.J. Barksdale 7 |
Rebounds |
Branden Dawson 10 |
|
Adam Smith 5 |
Free Throws Made |
Gary Harris 5 |
|
Devin Wilson 2 |
Steals |
Keith Appling 3 |
|
C.J. Barksdale 1 |
Blocks |
Adreian Payne 3 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Virginia Tech
|
77 |
41.0 |
13-27 |
14-15 |
13 |
32 |
1 |
4 |
17 |
| Michigan St
|
96 |
50.7 |
14-35 |
10-13 |
26 |
33 |
6 |
13 |
6 |
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