No. 19 Michigan State 77, Rider 45: Denzel Valentine set career highs with five 3-pointers and 19 points as the Spartans rode a dominant first half to cruise past the Broncs in the opening round of the Orlando Classic.

Bryn Forbes chipped in 15 points while Travis Trice and Gavin Schilling contributed 10 apiece for Michigan State (4-1), which held Rider to 11 first-half points and will face Marquette in Friday's semifinals. Michigan State tied its season high with 12 triples and is averaging 9.2 this season, ahead of the last year’s pace (8.1) when it set a school record with 307.

Matt Lopez was the lone Rider starter to connect on at least half of his field-goal attempts, going 5-of-9 to finish with 14 points for Rider (2-3), which meets Georgia Tech in Friday's consolation round. The Broncs made only four of its 29 field-goal attempts in the first half and shot 25.8 percent for the game, including 1-of-13 beyond the arc.

Trice and Marvin Clark Jr. each knocked down 3-pointers to begin the game and Michigan State opened with a 10-1 lead 3½ minutes into the contest. Teddy Okereafor and Zedric Sadler countered with buckets to cut Rider’s deficit to four before the Broncs missed 18 of their final 20 shots going into the break, allowing the Spartans to overcome 10 turnovers and take a 21-point lead at intermission.

Michigan State connected on its first three 3-point attempts out of the break and the Spartans continued to stretch the margin throughout the second half. The Spartans led by as much as 35 with just under four minutes to play following back-to-back triples from Valentine before coasting the rest of the way.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Michigan State has held each of its last three opponents to 14 points or fewer in the first half. … The Spartans, who finished with 16 assists on 27 field goals, have recorded an assist on 66.7 percent of their shots this season. … Michigan State has connected on 12 3-pointers in each of its last two contests.