No. 19 Michigan State 79, Marquette 68: Denzel Valentine set a career high for the second straight game with 25 points as the Spartans downed the Golden Eagles in the semifinals of the Orlando Classic.

Valentine, who hit five 3-pointers en route to a personal-best 19 points in Thursday’s opening-round rout of Rider, drained six more triples as Michigan State (5-1) knocked down 12 3-pointers for the third straight contest. Travis Trice contributed 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and Marvin Clark Jr. added 10 for the Spartans, who meet No. 12 Kansas in Sunday’s title game.

Duane Wilson led four players in double figures with 15 points for Marquette (3-3), which faces Tennessee in Sunday’s third-place game. Matt Carlino, who set a tournament record with 38 points in the Golden Eagles’ opening-round win over Georgia Tech, finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals while Deonte Burton and Steve Taylor Jr. tallied 10 points apiece.

Michigan State shot 57.1 percent in the opening 20 minutes but committed 10 turnovers, allowing Marquette to hang around and take a one-point lead with 1:45 left in the first half after the Golden Eagles nailed four 3-pointers in less than three minutes. The Spartans were unable to shake Marquette through the first 6:42 of the second half, holding only a 52-47 edge following a free throw from Burton.

Valentine answered with a 3-pointer on the other end and added another triple just over a minute later as Michigan State drained three 3-pointers during a 13-2 spurt in a span of less than two minutes to open up a 65-49 advantage with 11:11 left. The Golden Eagles held the Spartans without a field goal for nearly 7½ minutes and managed to close within six twice in the final minutes, but Valentine and Trice combined for Michigan State’s final seven points down the stretch.

GAME NOTEBOOK: During a 4 ½-minute stretch early in the second half, Michigan State and Marquette combined to hit 11 consecutive shots, including four 3-pointers. … The Golden Eagles have dropped nine of the last 10 meetings. … Marquette’s 34 points in the opening 20 minutes were five fewer than the combined first-half total of Michigan State’s last three opponents.