No. 3 Michigan State Pulls Away To Beat Eastern Michigan, 89-65

LARRY LAGE, AP Sports Writer

EAST LANSING (AP) — Javon Bess scored nine of his 13 points in the first half and matched a season high with six rebounds to help No. 3 Michigan State pull away to beat Eastern Michigan 89-65 Monday night.

The Spartans (4-0) were sluggish early in the game, giving up the first four points and leading by just two points midway through the first half. They led 40-25 at halftime, were ahead by 28 midway through the second half and were up by as much as 34 points.

The Eagles (2-2) were led by Ty Toney' 18 points and Willie Mangum, who scored 10.

Michigan State's Denzel Valentine had 12 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Deyonta Davis scored 16 points and blocked five shots, Bryn Forbes scored 12 and Eron Harris added 10 points for the Spartans.

Tom Izzo pulled within a victory of No. 500 in his career. Izzo won 495 games over his first 20 seasons, trailing only the number of wins earned by Roy Williams (562), Bill Self (508), John Calipari (507) and Jerry Tarkanian (501) during their first two decades as coaches.

TIP-INS

Eastern Michigan: The Eagles are without their best player. Guard Raven Lee, who averaged a team-high 16.7 points last season, didn't play because he was suspended indefinitely earlier this month for an unspecified violation of team rules.

Michigan State: Izzo would rather his players avoid technical fouls for taunting, but he might not have minded that the soft-spoken Davis was called for one. Davis followed up a dunk in the second half with some words for an Eagle, drawing a technical foul.

UP NEXT

The Eagles host Marygrove College, a Division II program, on Wednesday.

The Spartans face Boston College on Thursday in California, in the first of their three games over four days at the Wooden Legacy tournament. They will play No. 11 Arizona on Sunday in the final if both teams win twice.

INJURY REPORT

Michigan State power forward Gavin Schilling, who is still wearing a walking boot on his left foot to protect a toe injury, has not been cleared to practice and is out indefinitely.

HELPING HANDS

The Spartans had 26 assists — surpassing Eastern Michigan's made baskets by three — on 31 of their baskets. They moved the ball well around the outside and inside against the Eagles' zone, which is similar to the one Syracuse uses. That's not a coincidence because Eagles coach Rob Murphy, who is in his fifth season at the school, was an assistant for Jim Boeheim for seven seasons at Syracuse.
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