East Lansing, Mich. (November 29, 2013)—Mount St. Mary's played a solid first half, but top-ranked Michigan State pulled away for a 98-65 win on Friday afternoon at the Breslin Center.  Freshman Will Miller hit five first-half three-pointers for a season-high 15 points to pace the Mount in the loss.

Senior Julian Norfleet chipped in 13 points, five assists and three rebounds for the Mount while Miller finished 5-of-12 (.417) from beyond the arc in the game. Rashad Whack added 10 points and six boards while Byron Ashe added 10 points and three rebounds in the loss.  Sam Prescott chipped in seven points, seven rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals in a solid all-around game for the Mountaineers.

Keith Appling led Michigan State with 17 points and five assists while Denzel Valentine and Travis Trice each chipped in 15 points in the victory.  Michigan State shot 63.1 percent from the field and was 9-for-18 (.500) from three-point range in the game.

The Mountaineers shot 32.8 percent overall, but was 12-of-34 (.353) from three-point range in the loss.

The game had a good pace early as the Mount hit its first three three-point shots and trailed 15-13 at the first media time.  The Mount's freshmen Miller and Ashe carried the offense in that stretch with Miller posting six points and Ashe five.

The Mount's hot shooting continued as Miller connected on two more three-pointers, his second cutting the Michigan State lead to 23-22 with 11:17 left in the opening half.  The Mount (2-6) remained right in the game, pulling within 33-29 on a pair of Norfleet free throws at the 7:13 mark of the half. 

Miller's fifth three-pointer of the half cut the Mount's deficit to 41-36, but the Spartans closed the half on a 9-2 run to take a 50-38 lead at the break.

Michigan State (7-0) shot 63.6 percent (21-of-33) from the field in the opening half, including 7-of-11 (.636) from three-point range.  The Mount was 8-for-20 (.400) from beyond the arc in the opening half while shooting 38.2 percent overall.

Michigan State opened the second half on a 14-to-4 run to take a 64-42 advantage and the Spartans cruised to the victory from there.

Prior to the game, Mount head coach Jamion Christian announced that senior center Kristijan Krajina will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.  Freshman Khalid Nwandu also missed his third game in a row due to injury.

Mount St. Mary's returns home to face Binghamton on Wednesday, December 4, at Knott Arena. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.

Game Notes:  This was the second meeting between the Mount and Michigan State…The Spartans defeated the Mount, 76-53, in the First Round of the 1999 NCAA Tournament in the other matchup…This was also the second time in school history the Mount has faced the top team in the nation…Mount St. Mary's lost to No. 1 North Carolina, 113-74, in the First Round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament.