BTN.com staff, January 5, 2013

Freshman Gary Harris scored a career-high 22 points, and No. 18 Michigan State used a 28-7 run in the second half to pull away for an 84-61 victory over Purdue on Saturday. The Spartans (12-3, 1-1 Big Ten) missed their first 10 shots from the field after halftime, but it didn't much matter in what quickly became a free throw contest.

Michigan State finished 18 of 22 from the line, and the Boilermakers were 9 of 20 – including 6 of 16 in the second half.

Branden Dawson had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Spartans, who bounced back from a loss at Minnesota in their conference opener.

A.J. Hammons scored 20 points for Purdue. The Boilermakers (7-7, 1-1) were coming off a win over No. 11 Illinois.

[ BOX | AP RECAP | SCORES | ALL PHOTOS | CONNECT | RAPID RECAPS | B1G DUNKS ]

Branden Dawson throws apparent punch at Travis Carroll:

Branden Dawson & Keith Appling go for back-to-back dunks:

Tom Izzo's classic reaction to failed alley-oop:

Terone Johnson finds A.J. Hammons for alley-oop:

A.J. Hammons throws it down:

FINAL: Gary Harris went 7-of-13 from the field and led five Michigan State players in double digits with 22 points as the Spartans defeated Purdue 84-61 on Saturday at the Breslin Center. No. 18 Michigan State also got double-digit contributions from Branden Dawson (14 points), Travis Trice (12), Denzel Valentine (11) and Derrick Nix (10). Michigan State (12-3) shared the ball to the tune of 20 assists on 29 baskets and secured 16 offensive boards. A.J. Hammons contributed 20 points, pulled down six rebounds, and went 8-of-12 from the field for Purdue (7-7) in a losing effort.

HALFTIME: In a back-and-forth first 20 minutes, No. 18 Michigan State goes to the locker room leading Purdue, 36-30. The Spartans trailed 26-25 when they broke out for a 7-0 run to overtake the Boilermakers. Michigan State fired often and fired with accuracy from distance, hitting 56 percent (5-of-9) of its three-point attempts. The Spartans shared the ball, finishing with 11 assists on 15 field goals in the first half. Michigan State's Gary Harris had a big first half, with 11 points, and Travis Trice added eight and three rebounds. D.J. Byrd led the way for Purdue in the first half, with 11 points and four rebounds.

EDITOR'S NOTE In partnership with Narrative Science, BTN.com posts fast recaps after every half of every Big Ten men's basketball game. Use the links above for more info on this specific game.