Senior center Derrick Nix makes a layup as Valparaiso forward Ryan Broekhoff plays defense. The Spartans leads the Crusaders at the half, 35-18, Thursday, March 21, 2013, at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich. Justin Wan/The State News
Auburn Hills, Mich. — In the first game of the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the MSU men’s basketball team (25-8) has a commanding 35-18 lead over Valparaiso (26-7)
Senior center Derrick Nix leads all scorers with nine points while junior guard Keith Appling added seven to head back to the locker room with a heavy advantage.
It was an uneven offensive start to the game for both sides, as the No. 3-seeded Spartans only managed to shoot 5-for-16 from the field in the first 10 minutes of the half. However, Valpo was unable to do much better, shooting just 4-for-14 in the same time period.
Matt Kenney hit the first shot of the game to put Valpo ahead 2-0.
Appling was quick to answer with jumper of his own from 15 feet out to knot it up in the opening minutes — one of many strong shots from Appling in the half.
Although it was clear MSU had a physical advantage over the Crusaders, poor shooting kept the game close until the Spartans regrouped during a media timeout.
Coming out of the timeout at 11:24 with the game tied, the Spartans reeled off a 10-2 run over the next three minutes highlighted by a two-handed dunk by sophomore guard/forward Branden Dawson.
After struggling for several weeks, Dawson was a strong force at both ends of the floor in the first half, recording five points, two rebounds and one assist.
Following a 3-pointer by freshman guard Gary Harris, the Spartans continued to build their lead on what snowballed into a 27-10 run to close out the half.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
