NCAA East Regional: MSU’s Payne scores 41 as Spartans top Blue Hens 93-78

By Eddie Pells, AP Sports Writer

Published Thursday, March 20, 2014 | 1:50 p.m.

Updated Thursday, March 20, 2014 | 4:44 p.m.

Adreian Payne scored a career-high 41 points Thursday to get Michigan State off to a solid start in the NCAA tournament with a 93-78 victory over Delaware.

Payne, a 6-foot-10 senior, scored 12 straight points in the first half to help the fourth-seeded Spartans (27-8) to an 18-point lead.

He set an NCAA tournament record by making all 17 of his free throws and broke the program's tournament scoring record, set previously by Greg Kelser in 1979.

Devon Saddler had 21 points and Davon Usher added 20 for the 13th-seeded Blue Hens (25-10).

Travis Trice scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half for the Spartans, who became a trendy pick after winning the Big Ten tournament last week. President Barack Obama has them to win it all.

12-seed Harvard pulls upset special, sends Cincinnati packing

Siyani Chambers scored 11 points, including five straight in the final two minutes, and 12th-seeded Harvard won its second NCAA tournament game in history, upsetting Cincinnati, 61-57, Thursday in Spokane.

Wesley Saunders led the Crimson (27-4) with 12 points as Harvard pulled off an NCAA upset for the second consecutive year. In 2013, Harvard upset New Mexico as a 14 seed.

The Crimson became the first Ivy League school with NCAA tournament wins in consecutive years since Princeton in 1983-84.

Harvard never trailed after the opening moments. The Crimson played with confidence and scrap against the No. 5 seed Bearcats, who shared the American Athletic Conference regular-season title. Sean Kilpatrick led seed Cincinnati (27-7) with 18 points, but the Bearcats failed to win a tournament game for the second year in a row.