Michigan State takes command early, routs N.D. State

Carson Cooper matched his career high with 20 points along with 10 rebounds as No. 3-seed Michigan State earned an easy 92-67 victory over 14th-seed North Dakota State in a first-round East Region matchup of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at Buffalo, N.Y.

Coen Carr added 17 points and Jeremy Fears Jr. had 11 assists as the Spartans had 26 assists on 33 made field goals.

Cameron Ward scored 13 points and Jaxon Kohler added 12 for Michigan State (26-7), which rebounded from consecutive defeats against Big Ten Conference opponents to open its 28th consecutive NCAA Tournament with a win.

Michigan State shot 63.0% in the second half and 58.9% in the game to earn a second-round matchup Saturday against sixth-seeded Louisville.

Damari Wheeler-Thomas scored 16 points and Trevian Carson added 11 points with seven rebounds as North Dakota State (27-8) saw its four-game winning streak come to an end.

Treyson Anderson scored 10 points for the Bison, who finished 44% from the floor. Wheeler-Thomas, who was named Summit League MVP, was held scoreless in the first half.

North Dakota State was the Summit League regular-season and tournament champions.

The Bison had an 8-5 lead just over three minutes into the game before the Spartans took control with an 18-2 run for a 23-10 lead with 11:38 remaining in the first half. North Dakota State was held without a field goal for nearly six minutes in the stretch.

A separate 16-4 run late in the first half gave Michigan State a 41-21 lead and the Spartans were up 45-25 at halftime.

The Spartans' dominance continued into the second half with Spears making a 3-pointer to give Michigan State a 61-33 lead with 15:12 remaining.

The Bison had a pair of 8-0 runs in the second half but never reduced their deficit under 17 points after halftime.

Michigan State improved to 22-5 under head coach Tom Izzo in Round of 64 games.

--Field Level Media