COL BKB: Michigan State 72, Temple 61

DENVER, March 20 (UPI) -- Raymar Morgan scored 15 points Thursday to help Michigan State eliminate Temple 72-61 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament's South Region in Denver.

The Spartans used a 15-2 spurt near the end of the first half to build a 35-26 lead at the break and were able to keep the Owls at bay in the final 20 minutes.

Chris Allen scored 12 points and Drew Naymick added 10 points with eight rebounds for the fifth-seeded Spartans (26-8), who are playing in the NCAA Tournament for the 11th straight year.

The seed is their highest since 2005 when they reached the Final Four before a loss to eventual national champion North Carolina.

Temple was led by Mark Tyndale's 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Ryan Brooks also scored 14 points and Lavoy Allen scored 13 with 11 rebounds for the Owls, who finished with a 21-13 mark.