CLEVELAND — Coen Carr had 18 points and nine rebounds, and second-seeded Michigan State rolled to a 87-62 victory over No. 15 seed Bryant on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Jase Richardson added 15 points for coach Tom Izzo’s Spartans (28-6), who trailed for most of the first 15 minutes before taking control.
Michigan State, which has one of the deepest squads in the 68-team field, had five players score in double figures.
Michigan State will face 10th-seeded New Mexico on Sunday in the second round of the South Region. The Lobos advanced with a 75-66 victory over Marquette.
Rafael Pinzon led Bryant (23-12) with 21 points and Earl Timberlake scored 14.
The Bulldogs scored the game’s first five points and stuck with the Spartans for most of the first half. Keyshawn Mitchell’s 3-pointer put the Bulldogs up 24-21 before Michigan State responded with a 10-0 run. Carr had the first five points in the burst and scored 15 points in the first half.
Up next
The Spartans will face a team from New Mexico for the second time in the NCAA Tournament. They defeated New Mexico State in the first round in 2010.
