Raymar Morgan led a balanced Michigan State attack with 14 points and nine rebounds as the Spartans bested Marquette, 61-49, in the opening round of the East Region of the NCAA Tournament.

On the other hand, Drew Neitzel added 12 points, five rebounds and five assists for the ninth- seeded Spartans (23-11), who were coming off a 70-57 defeat at the hands of Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament. Marquise Gray also chipped in with 12 points and five boards.

After this victory, Michigan State will now move on to face either top-seeded North Carolina or 16th-seeded Eastern Kentucky in Saturday’s second round. Earlier, Dominic James scored a game-high 18 points but was just 6-of-16 from the floor for the eighth-seeded Golden Eagles (24-10), who shot a miserable 32 percent in the game. Wesley Matthews finished with 10 points on 2-of-9 shooting.

Via:

Chron