AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Paul Davis scored 20 points and keyed a first-half surge to lead No. 20 Michigan State to a 78-53 win over Stanford on Saturday.<br>
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Michigan State (5-2) took control with an 18-4 run midway through the first half and was able to coast the rest of the way. Davis started the spurt with a low-post move for a basket, then added a jumper and three-point play.<br>
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Matt Haryasz led the Cardinal (2-4) with 12 points. Stanford's Dan Grunfeld, who was averaging 19.4 points, was held to six on 2-of-8 shooting.<br>
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Michigan State's Maurice Ager scored 12, Alan Anderson had 11 and Shannon Brown added 10. The Cardinal played for the first time since Nov. 28 and will not play their home opener until Dec. 18 because Maples Pavilion is being renovated. <br>
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Stanford led 13-6 after converting five Michigan State turnovers into 11 points before the game slipped away from the road-weary team.<br>
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The Spartans made four straight shots - following a 2-of-13 start - to take the lead for good. The decisive run gave Michigan State a 24-17 lead and it led by nine at halftime.<br>
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Davis scored the first basket of the second half to give the Spartans their first double-digit lead, which they built to more than 20 with balanced scoring and aggressive defense.<br>
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Michigan State made 49 percent of its shots and held the Cardinal to 32.7 percent in the Spartan Clash at The Palace.<br>
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The Spartans fell nine spots in The Associated Press poll last week after losing at Duke and to George Washington.
