Michigan State pulls away from Marquette

Orlando, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Denzel Valentine scored 25 points and Travis Trice tallied 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds, as 20th-ranked Michigan State beat Marquette, 79-68, in the semifinals of the Orlando Classic.

Marvin Clark Jr. supplied 10 points for the Spartans (5-1), who will face No. 11 Kansas in the title game Sunday afternoon. The Jayhawks beat Tennessee, 82-67, in the other semifinal.

Duane Wilson and Matt Carlino led the way with 15 and 14 points, respectively, for the Golden Eagles (3-3), who received 10 points apiece from Steve Taylor Jr. and Deonte Burton.

Carlino finished with a career-high and tournament-record 38 points in Thursday's victory over Georgia Tech, but the senior guard was limited to 4- of-13 shooting one night later.

The Spartans shot 57.8 percent from the field. That included a 12-of-23 clip from beyond the arc, with Valentine leading the way with a 6-of-10 effort.

Michigan State went ahead with a 13-2 spurt in the opening half. Trice's jumper capped the burst with 11 1/2 minutes remaining for a 17-11 score. Marquette came back with the next seven points and it stayed close the rest of the half with Trice's two free throws in the final minute providing Michigan State with a 35-34 halftime edge.

Burton's jam had the Golden Eagles within 50-46, but Michigan State pulled away with an ensuing 15-3 spurt. Valentine made a pair from beyond the arc, and the run ended with Trice's 3-ball with just over 11 minutes remaining.

Marquette never got closer than six points the rest of the game.

Game Notes

Michigan State leads the all-time series 32-23 ... Friday night's game was the second of the season for the Golden Eagles against a nationally ranked program from the Big Ten. Marquette lost at No. 20 Ohio State on Nov. 18.