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No. 3 Michigan State romps over Binghamton 76-33

Denzel Valentine

Denzel Valentine

AP

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) Denzel Valentine had 13 points and 12 rebounds and Bryn Forbes scored 14 points as No. 3 Michigan State rolled over Binghamton 76-33 on Saturday.

The Spartans (9-0) stormed to a 41-12 halftime lead, shooting 15 of 29 from the field, and holding cold-shooting Binghamton (2-5) to 4 of 31. For the game, Michigan State was 30 of 65 and the Bearcats were 10 of 60.

Valentine scored all of his points within the first 10 minutes of the game as the Spartans took a 21-5 lead. Alvin Ellis III’s 3-pointer late in the half increased the lead to 30-7. Eron Harris scored nine points of his 11 points in the first half.

The Bearcats didn’t reach double figures until just over a minute left in the half when Dusan Perovic’s 3-pointer made it 38-12.

Justin McFadden led Binghamton with 10 points.

TIP-INS

Michigan State: The Spartans are off to the second-best start of the Tom Izzo era, trailing only the 2000-01 team that set the record with a 12-0 start. ... Valentine set the tone for the game with a dunk off the opening tipoff. ... It was the lowest point total against the Spartans since the 92-46 win over Arkansas Pine-Bluff on Nov. 20.

Binghamton: The Bearcats trailed 9-0 before Everson Davis scored. ... The Bearcats had the youngest team in the nation last season and still have 11 underclassmen on their 15-man roster.

LENDING A HAND

Michigan State entered the game averaging a nation’s best of 22.9 assists. They had 12 in the first half and 24 for the game. Valentine entered the game averaging 8.4 assists per contest and had four in limited action against the Bearcats

RANKING SIMILARITIES

Michigan State is among five schools currently ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 in both football (No. 5) and men’s basketball (No. 3).

RARE MATCHUP

This was the first-ever meeting between the teams. ... The Spartans are 7-1 all-time against opponents currently in the America East Conference. ... The only other time Binghamton faced a team ranked as high as No. 3 was Michigan in 2012-13. ... The Bearcats are 0-11 all-time against ranked teams and 0-6 vs. the Top 5.

UP NEXT

Michigan State hosts Maryland-Eastern Shore on Wednesday.

Binghamton visits Oakland University on Monday.