Michigan State survived a late scare from Harvard, who nearly pulled off their second straight upset, 80-73. The Spartans led by 16 in the second half, but Harvard rallied to take its first lead on Laurent Rivard’s three with under eight minutes to play. But Tom Izzo’s team got it together, fending off a late Crimson rally.
NCAA Tournament 2014: No. 4 Michigan State beats No. 12 Harvard, 80-73
Harvard made a game of it, but the Spartans got just enough out of Branden Dawson to notch a trip to the Sweet 16.
Branden Dawson played out of his mind for the Spartans, scoring a career-high 26 points and grabbing nine rebounds on a 12-of-15 shooting night. Leading scorer Gary Harris chipped in 17, including a pair of three-pointers.
Wesley Saunders bore the brunt for Harvard, scoring a team-high 22 points, including a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line. Rivard hit the big three and finished 2-of-5 from deep on the day. The Crimson got a lot of production from the charity stripe, shooting 23-of-30 on free throws.
Michigan State awaits the winner of Virginia and Memphis, who will play on Sunday.
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