East Lansing, MI -- (Sports Network) - Drew Neitzel had a game-high 18 points to lead ninth-ranked Michigan State past IPFW, 79-57.

Two other Spartans (9-1) scored in double figures; Marquise Gray dropped in 15 points and Raymar Morgan tallied 12 points in addition to his seven rebounds.

Jakari Johnson was the leading scorer for the Mastadons (4-5) with 17 points. Jaraun Burrows scored 15 points in addition to grabbing 10 boards and Ben Botts netted 11 points.

Michigan State opened the game on an 18-5 run that was capped off by a Durrell Summers jump shot with 13:42 left in the half. IPFW would manage to cut the deficit to 40-29 by halftime.

"Where I think you have to be disappointed in us is not taking care of business and figuring out that when you have a team down, you have to put them away," Tom Izzo, Michigan State head coach said. "You have to give IPFW credit because we had them down, and they cut it back to three or four in the second half. And that's a great credit to him and what he did at halftime."

IPFW responded well after the break. The Mastadons pulled within 4 points, 41-37, of their ninth-ranked counterparts on a Burrows layup with 15:17 left in the game. However, the Spartans proved too tough a foe by going on a 16-4 run and increasing their lead to 57-41 with 8:46 left.

"I thought we did a nice job executing our game plan for the most part," Dane Fife, IPFW head coach said. "We crept back in it in the second half and I think they had their starting five in there. We had to make a stop and we didn't, and I think it snowballed from there."

Izzo and his team were never tested again.

Game Notes

Saturday's game was the fourth matchup between the two teams. MSU leads the series 4-0 and all four games have been played in East Lansing...Dane Fife is in his third season as IPFW's head coach. He has recorded a 26-40 record and at 28 he is the youngest men's basketball coach in Division I.