West Lafayette, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Gary Harris and Adreian Payne fueled Michigan State's outside shooting prowess as the 13th-ranked Spartans set a single-game school record by making 17 3-pointers in a 94-79 win at Purdue.
Harris drained six 3-pointers and finished with 25 points, two off his career high, and Payne knocked down four shots from beyond the arc en route to 23 points for the Spartans (22-5, 11-3 Big Ten), who rebounded from Sunday's home loss to Nebraska. They have yet to lose back-to-back games this season.
Denzel Valentine had 16 points, five rebounds and four assists for Michigan State, which moved a half-game ahead of Michigan for first place in the conference standings. The rivals clash in Ann Arbor on Sunday.
Kendall Stephens scored 15 of his career-best 19 points in the first half for the Boilermakers (15-11, 5-8), who have lost six straight to Michigan State. Ronnie Johnson supplied 17 points in defeat.
Michigan State attempted a whopping 32 3-pointers, while only 20 shots came from inside the arc during the near wire-to-wire win.
The Spartans relied almost exclusively on the 3-ball in the opening frame, as 19 of their 22 shots were from long range. They made 13 compared to just one 2-point field goal and led 49-38.
Purdue trailed by double figures throughout the majority of the second half.
Travis Trice knocked down the Spartans' final trey with 4:29 to go.
Game Notes
Trice had 14 points and Keith Appling dished out nine assists for Michigan State ... The Spartans have won each of the last six meetings by double digits since a 67-47 loss on Feb. 27, 2011 ... Purdue fell to 0-5 against ranked teams this season ... The Boilermakers shot 49.0 percent from the field, but made only 60 percent of their free throws (24-of-40).
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