Payne has 20, No. 18 Spartans hold off PSU 81-72

(AP) Adreian Payne scored 20 points after spending the first half on the bench following a morning scuffle with teammate Brandon Dawson, and No. 18 Michigan State held on for a 81-72 victory against Penn State on Wednesday night.

Payne, a sturdy 6-foot-10 forward, made up for lost time by dominating the post in the second half. He had 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting in a stretch of six-plus minutes after entering the game with about 16:30 left.

Payne added a 3-pointer only his second made 3 of the year in the middle of a 20-8 run to help the Spartans (15-3, 4-1 Big Ten) pull ahead midway through the second half.

Penn State (8-9, 0-5) stayed closed much of the night in large part because of Jermaine Marshall, who scored 22 of his career-high 29 points after halftime.