Despite struggling with turnovers, the uptempo pace was ultimately a success. In the team’s first opening game at home since 2010, MSU (1-0 overall) beat McNeese State, 98-56. MSU has not lost a home opener since 1970.

The extra possessions reflected on the box score. Senior center Adreian Payne, sophomore guard Gary Harris and junior forward Branden Dawson each posted a double-double. Payne had 10 points and 10 boards, Harris had 20 points and 10 boards and six assists and Dawson had 12 points, 12 boards and five assists.

It’s the first time since 1988 that three MSU basketball players finished with double-doubles in the same game.

Junior guard Travis Trice added 11 points and eight assists, sophomore guard Denzel Valentine had 12 points, five rebounds and three assists and senior guard Keith Appling had 11 points, six assists and four turnovers.

Head coach Tom Izzo praised Trice and Dawson, who have both struggled with injuries but made enormous contributions on the box score against McNeese State.

“Those were two big pluses,” Izzo said of Trice and Dawson. “Gary actually missed some wide open shots that were half way down, but Trice came in and I thought he was a difference in the first half.”

Dawson, who struggled last year as he recovered from ACL surgery, had a major presence around the rim, hauling rebounds and cleaning up missed scoring opportunities.

“We didn’t run anything for him, and he was unbelievable,” Izzo said. “He just made a lot of things happen, got lot of loose balls, he was the only guy in there rebounding at times, tipping the ball, he was running the lane, passing it, he had five assists. That’s the Branden Dawson I thought we’d see, and I’m happy for him. The kid has been through a lot.”

Izzo also played freshman forward Alvin Ellis III, who had six points on 3-6 shooting in seven minutes. Izzo said the decision to redshirt was ultimately up to Ellis, who decided against it.

“I have mixed feelings, because there’s times I want to redshirt for his sake, and it’s times I wanted him not to redshirt for our sake,” Izzo said. “He just wanted to be a part of this team, and I don’t blame him for that. It’s all good, and Alvin can play. He’s going to help us. How many minutes he can play is key.”

Ellis said he sat in a meeting with Izzo two days before the game. After Ellis consulted with his parents, he decided playing was his best option.

“They thought I should just get my feet wet right now, get it where I can fit in right now instead of taking a year off,” Ellis said. “It wasn’t a tough decision.”

The Spartans out-rebounded McNeese State, 66-29, and held the Cowboys to 28.6% shooting. MSU dished 32 assists on 42 baskets, leading to 51.9% shooting for the game.

However, Izzo wasn’t completely satisfied. The Spartans were sloppy with the ball and relied too heavily on 3’s instead of establishing the post.

“I thought we started over-dribbling in the second half,” Izzo said. “We’re settling for some three’s without getting the ball inside. I think we’re missing guys in there. We’re going to really put an emphasis on that this week.”

Izzo also expressed disappointment in the play of his big men, acknowledging they didn’t establish position in the post as well as former center Derrick Nix did last season.

“Our inside guys have to work harder too,” Izzo said. “We gotta get them the ball more, but they gotta work harder. I felt sorry for Gary and Keith, they were getting the ball in there and probably got nailed with turnovers.”

The Cowboys kept the game reasonably close early on. The Spartans struggled with eight turnovers in the first half as the fast pace led to some bad passes. However, Trice changed the complexion of the game with key passes and timely contributions on offense.

He slammed a rare dunk to give MSU a 17-13 lead in the first half, and followed with a three before finding Payne for a dunk. His play helped ignite the offense as MSU finished the first half with a 52-25 lead.

“I think we did a good job early on,” Trice said. “It was a close game to be honest in the start, and they hit a couple crazy shots. But once our running game (started), I think we wore them down and with about 5 minutes left in the first half you could see they were kinda gassed.”

The Spartans began the second half right where the first half left off, scoring the first 11 points by converting on fast break opportunities and making good use of the three-point line.

Appling converted on a layup on the next go-around, and drained his first three-pointer of the night to push MSU’s lead to 59-25.

Payne began to find his rhythm, working the post down low for layup, and cleaning up a missed three from Harris on the next offensive play before grabbing a one-handed rebound on the other end.

Down 75-33, the Cowboys switched back to man-to-man to stop the bleeding. And to good results — the defensive switch generated a run for McNeese State.

Hardy split at the line to trim the lead to 75-34, and drained a three minutes later after Harris was stuffed under the rim on a layup attempt.

McNeese State converted on a layup, and Izzo called a timeout to stop the 11-4 run after the Cowboys cut the lead to 75-39 with 8:57 on the clock.

MSU finally scored after an almost 5-minute scoring drought when Dawson dished an assist to Payne under the rim on an inbounds play. Harris drained another three —his fourth of the night — to put the lead at 83-39.

Dawson dunked on consecutive plays to cap off an 11-0 run and push the lead to 47. The first came on an inside pass from Appling, and the next dunk was courtesy of Harris on a fast break.

MSU cruised for the remainder of the match. Schilling faked under the rim to spin for a layup, and Ellis III knocked down a jumper for a 92-48 lead with under three minutes left. The Spartans went on to win, 98-56.

With 15 turnovers for the game and defensive lapses, the uptempo style of play might be a work-in-progress. But it’s a style that Izzo has preached to his players since the offseason, and plans to stick with for the remainder of the season.

“That’s what coach has been preaching since last year,” said Denzel Valentine. “It’s the same players, but guys are more experienced, and guys have been in those running type games.”

The team will now set its sights on the Champions Classic on Tuesday, when MSU will play No. 1 Kentucky at United Center in Chicago, Ill.