Harris scored a game-high 16 points to help the No. 3 seed MSU men’s basketball team (26-8) to a 32-29 halftime lead against No. 6 seed Memphis (31-4) in the third round of the NCAA Tournament at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

The game opened with senior center Derrick Nix following a miss on his first shot, grabbing the rebound and putting back a hook shot in the lane for the game’s first points.

Nix scored seven points with four rebounds in the first half and was the only Spartan other than Harris to score more than four points in the game’s first 20 minutes.

MSU’s lead would last only momentarily, as the Tigers followed every MSU basket with a make of their own for the opening seven minutes.

That would change quickly as Harris caught fire and the Spartans went on a tear.

The freshman guard powered a 20-7 run, scoring 14 points, including four 3-pointers, to give MSU some separation, 26-13, with 7:59 to go in the first half.

But Memphis had an answer, responding with a 12-2 rally, highlighted by back-to-back threes from guard Geron Johnson to pull them within three points, 28-25, with 3:06 remaining in the first half.

Consecutive baskets from Harris and freshman guard Denzel Valentine bumped the Spartans’ lead back up to seven points, before Memphis ended the half with four consecutive points of its own to bring themselves back within three points to end the half.