MSU leads EMU 40-25 at halftime in Breslin Center.

Eastern Michigan stuck with the Spartans for much of the first half, but a combined 28 points off free throws and three-pointers kept MSU ahead. Junior guard Javon Bess had five trips to the free throw line and made seven, finishing the half with nine points.

The Eagles took their time moving the ball early and scored the game’s first four points off layups. The Spartans began with patience as well, as senior guard Bryn Forbes hit a three-pointer to close the gap, 4-3, late into the shot clock. Redshirt-junior guard Eron Harris hit a three-pointer of his own with 15:45 remaining in the half, putting the Spartans up 8-4.

With just under 14:00 to go in the half, EMU continued its string of layups when junior Ty Toney penetrated and closed the gap to 10-8. But 14 seconds later, Forbes hit his second three of the game to give the Spartans slight breathing room.

Moving along under the 10-minute mark, EMU went through a stretch of five missed shots and the Spartans were able to take a 8-point lead, 19-11.

Freshman forward Deyonta Davis had two emphatic dunks in the first half, the second of which put the Spartans up by 10 with 7:01 remaining in the half. Junior guard Alvin Ellis III made a three-pointer on the Spartans’ next possession to go up by 13 points.

An and-one finish for Davis and four points from Bess brought the Spartans ahead 35-23 with just over a minute remaining. Then, the teams shared back-to-back three-pointers to close out the half.

The Eagles played well early, but only shot 33 percent in the half and were unable to close the gap on the Spartans’ late push.

Harris finished the half with eight points on 2-for-2 three-point shooting. For the Eagles, Toney finished the half with 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting.