No. 5 Michigan State 78, North Florida 48: Adreian Payne had 19 points, seven rebounds and three steals to lead the undermanned Spartans over the visiting Ospreys.

Branden Dawson added 12 points and seven rebounds for Michigan State, which played without leading scorer Gary Harris, who has been trying to recover from a right ankle injury. Denzel Valentine added 11 points, six rebounds and four assists and Russell Byrd scored a career-high 10 off the bench for the Spartans (9-1).

Jalen Nesbitt had 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench to lead North Florida (5-7). Fellow reserves Devin Wilson and Demarcus Daniels were the next highest scorers with seven points apiece for the Ospreys, who received just 12 points from their starting five.

The Spartans played their second straight game and third in the last four without Harris, who continues to be bothered by an injury that initially occurred in late August. Michigan State also went without backup guard Travis Trice, who started the two games in place of Harris but has been dealing with a blister on his foot.

Both players dressed for the game but weren’t needed as the Spartans sped to a 21-4 lead and didn’t let up, taking a 50-19 advantage into the locker room. Michigan State shot 70.8 percent from the floor in the first half before cooling off in the second and finishing at 52.9.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Keith Appling, the second-leading scorer for Michigan State, has been dealing with a right wrist injury and did not attempt a shot in the first half before finishing with eight points on 2-for-8 from the field. … Payne shot 1-for-2 from 3-point range and is 30-for-71 over the last 30 games after shooting 1-for-4 through his first 87 at Michigan State. … The top three scorers for the Ospreys coming in, Dallas Moore, Travis Wallace and Beau Beech, combined for eight points on 2-for-18 from the field.