EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) Gabe Brown scored a career-high 20 points, and No. 4 Michigan State used a 13-0 run early in the second half to pull away to a 109-91 victory over Oakland on Sunday.
Rashad Williams scored 23 of his 36 points in the first half for Oakland, his second straight huge game against a big-name opponent. The Golden Grizzlies (0-7) trailed by one shortly after halftime before Michigan State (6-0) quickly pushed the lead into double digits.
Aaron Henry scored 15 points and Joshua Langford contributed 13 for the Spartans.
Williams made 10 3-pointers in a 32-point effort at Oklahoma State on Dec. 5. He made six 3s in the first half Sunday, and Oakland trailed by just four at halftime despite struggling to keep Michigan State off the boards.
Williams made another quick 3 in the second half, and Jalen Moore’s layup cut the lead to one at 46-45. Then Henry answered with a 3-pointer, and Langford made a layup and a 3 for the Spartans.
A jumper and a 3-pointer by Rocket Watts made it 59-45.
After his early 3 in the second half, Williams didn’t score again until a three-point play with 10:35 to play.
Oakland has been limited by coronavirus-related problems and has been overmatched at times against a tough schedule. The Golden Grizzlies lost by 52 to Xavier, by 27 to Toledo and by 43 to Purdue.
But Oakland took Michigan to overtime before losing, and the Golden Grizzlies have been competitive against Michigan State in the past. They kept it close for a while Sunday before falling to 0-19 in this series.
Moore scored 26 points for Oakland.
BIG PICTURE
Oakland: The Golden Grizzlies were outrebounded 52-20, and at times it felt like they couldn’t stop Michigan State unless they forced a turnover. They can still be excited about what Williams has been able to do against good competition.
Michigan State: It was no surprise that this game against an in-state opponent was tough for a while. The Spartans had balanced scoring, with eight players scoring at least nine points.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Michigan State’s big test this week was supposed to be Wednesday at No. 18 Virginia, but that game was called off because of COVID-19 issues with the Cavaliers. The Spartans can expect to stay near the top of the poll until they lose.
UP NEXT
Oakland opens Horizon League play Saturday night at Illinois-Chicago.
Michigan State begins its Big Ten slate Sunday night at Northwestern.
—
Follow Noah Trister at https://twitter.com/noahtrister
—
More AP college basketball: http://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25
25% Bonus via Western Union
