Michigan State defeated Bryant 87-62 in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Spartans dominated the boards, outrebounding the Bulldogs 54-29 and scoring 31 second-chance points. Rafael Pinzon led all scorers with 21 points for Bryant.

Michigan State is advancing but it wasn’t easy. The No. 2 seed Spartans pulled away in the second half for an 87-62 win against No. 15 Bryant early Saturday morning at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. Michigan State trailed for a good chunk of the first half and led by only five at the break before overpowering the Bulldogs in a game that was a lot closer than the final score.