Payne Leads Spartans Past Nittany Lions
It was redemption for Adreian Payne on Wednesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center as Michigan State defeated Penn State by a final score of 81-72. The junior center was benched for the first half for getting into an altercation with teammate Branden Dawson prior to the game.
Payne set a career high in scoring with 20 points despite not appearing in the game until the 16:37 mark of the second half.
The 6-10 junior made an immediate impact after entering the game and was happy to get the chance to atone for his mistakes.
“I was very excited,” Payne said. “I felt like a dog let out of a cage.”
Dawson sat next to Payne on the bench the entire first half and believed that they could provide a lift to their teammates in the second half.
“We really wanted to go out there and help our team,” Dawson said. “They were kind of struggling a little bit and we knew we could help the team out.”
Both players were very apologetic after the game and Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was encouraged by the way they took responsibility for their actions when speaking with them afterwards.
“It would have probably been a whole game suspension if not for when I met with them,” Izzo said.
With the victory Michigan State moves to 15-3 on the year and 4-1 in conference play. Penn State falls to 8-9 on the season and remains winless in the Big Ten at 0-5.
Jermaine Marshall and D.J Newbill helped keep Penn State in the game. Marshall finished with 27 points and Newbill finished with 29, but it was not enough for the Nittany Lions.
Both players set career highs in scoring, but Newbill felt that the numbers meant very little because of the loss.
“We lost so to us the numbers are shallow,” Newbill said. “We’re trying to do whatever it takes to get a win.”
Penn State coach Pat Chambers was pleased with the effort his team put forth tonight, but was disappointed his team could not pull off a victory.
“We had a great opportunity,” Chambers said. “I feel like we let it slip away.”
Michigan State got off to a fast start shooting 3-5 beyond the arc and opened up a 15-9 lead with 11:35 remaining in the first half. Michigan State freshman Gary Harris had six early points and finished with 14. He currently leads all Big Ten freshman in points per game.
The Spartans then went cold and a 7-1 run by Penn State tied up the game at 16.
Travis Trice was able to end Michigan State’s drought of 6:57 without a field goal by finishing a fast break layup.
The Spartans took a 29-25 lead into halftime and three-point shooting was the difference with Michigan State shooting 5-12 compared to 1-7 for Penn State.
After halftime the pace of the game elevated and Newbill said he was comfortable with playing at any speed.
“Certain games you may want to push the pace and other games you want to slow it down,” Newbill said. “It all depends on the game.”
Penn State started the second half hot and five straight points from Jermaine Marshall allowed Penn State to take a brief 36-35 lead with 15:16 remaining in the game. Payne responded with a basket on the following possession to put the Spartans ahead to stay.
Marshall continued to keep his team in the game with a three to bring his team to within two.
Six straight points from Payne keyed a 15-4 run for Michigan State opening up a 61-48 lead for Michigan State with 9:11 remaining.
Chambers credited Payne for his level of play and felt his team didn’t have an answer for his intensity.
“Obviously he was energized from what happened and we didn’t have a punch back when he came in.”
Michigan State was able to limit the turnovers by only committing seven in the game. Izzo said taking care of the basketball is critical for his team and he wants them to stay under 10. They average 14.8 turnovers per game, which is the most in the Big Ten.
Marshall believes his teammates have to keep their heads up and not get frustrated after losing.
“Tomorrow we have to come back with a great attitude,” Marshall said. “We can’t sulk on one game we have to keep moving forward.”
Penn State is in action again this Saturday at the Bryce Jordan Center against Nebraska at 1 PM.
Dan Cronin is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, e-mail djc5353@gmail.com.
