EAST LANSING, Mich. Gareth Bale Pink Jersey . -- Adreian Payne returned and Keith Appling sat out. Just another night in this injury-plagued season for Michigan State, which is still right there at the top of the Big Ten standings. "I just feel that were in the hunt right now," Spartans coach Tom Izzo said. "After what weve gone through, were in the hunt, and thats what I told our players. Youve got to be in the hunt before you get a chance to win a championship." Payne scored 12 points in his first game back from a foot injury, and the ninth-ranked Spartans kept pace in the league race with an 82-67 victory over Penn State on Thursday night. Payne hadnt played since Jan. 7 because of a sprained foot, but although he didnt start Thursday, he did play 18 minutes, going 5 of 9 from the field. "It felt good to be back on the court," Payne said. "Overall, Im satisfied." The Spartans (20-3, 9-1 Big Ten) were still nowhere near full strength. Appling, who has been dealing with a wrist problem, sat out, and Branden Dawson is still out with a broken hand. Izzo said he has no idea if Appling will be ready for Sundays game at Wisconsin. "It just has been getting worse and worse," Izzo said. "He falls a lot. I told him hes got to go to gymnastics class -- learn how to fall without landing on your wrist. ... I know this, out of every guy Ive got on my team, hes the toughest. If he can play, hell play." Kenny Kaminski scored a career-high 19 points for the Spartans. Tim Frazier scored 22 points for Penn State (12-11, 3-7), which had its three-game winning streak snapped. Despite all of its injury woes, Michigan State is tied for first with rival Michigan atop the Big Ten. Everyone else in the conference is at least three games back. Payne missed Michigan States loss to Michigan late last month, and the crowd gave him a nice ovation when he reported to the scorers table to check in for the first time Thursday. Payne entered with 16:21 left in the first half and made his first shot, from just inside the three-point line. "It was like Willis Reed coming off the bench," Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said referring to the New York Knicks captains dramatic playoff appearance in 1970. "The crowd was going crazy -- standing ovation." Payne was active throughout the first half but also seemed tired at times. Perhaps that was to be expected after he was out for about a month. The Spartans went on an 11-0 run to take a 22-8 lead. A three-pointer by Kaminski made it 35-16, and the Nittany Lions never threatened. Matt Costello capped the first half with a dunk while being fouled with 12 seconds left. His three-point play gave Michigan State a 46-30 lead. It was 61-44 after Kaminskis 3-pointer from near the top of the key banked in off the glass, and a 3-pointer by Gary Harris pushed the lead to 20. Kaminski went 7 of 9 from the field, 5 of 6 from three-point range. That enabled the Spartans to withstand Applings absence and 5-for-16 shooting by Harris. Denzel Valentine had a big game for Michigan State with 11 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and four steals. "Early in the game he was, I guess Id say out of control there," Izzo said. "We took him out and settled him down a little bit, and then I thought he played phenomenal." Michigan State has won 20 games for the 14th time in the last 17 seasons. Frazier needed two assists to set Penn States career record, but he only managed one, tying the mark of 600 by Freddie Barnes. Frazier went 9 of 14 from the field and 3 for 4 from three-point range. The rest of the team was 2 for 18 from beyond the arc. Penn States D.J. Newbill scored 17 points but missed all seven of his attempts from 3-point range. realmadridteamshop.com/Karim-Benzema-Real-Madrid-Jersey.html . PAUL, Minn. Authentic James Rodriguez Jersey .S. mens hockey team at the Sochi Olympics. Minnesota defenceman Ryan Suter and centre Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings will be the alternate captains, U.CLEVELAND - The Phoenix Suns pulled off a memorable comeback. For the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was a collapse they wont soon forget. The Suns, who looked as though they were about to get run out of the building, rallied from an 18-point halftime deficit by dominating the final two quarters for a 99-90 win Sunday night. "We were getting embarrassed," said Markieff Morris, who led Phoenix with 27 points. "Everybody knew it. Thats why we said if we were going to lose, we were going to go down fighting." Cleveland coach Mike Brown had a simple assessment of his teams meltdown. "It was hard to watch," he said. "Its disappointing we came out and played that way, and we should all feel embarrassed for the way we played in the second half." The Suns held Cleveland to six points in the third quarter and outscored the Cavaliers 56-29 in the second half. Channing Frye finished with 16 points, including four 3-pointers after halftime, and Goran Dragic scored 15 to help Phoenix rally on the first stop of a four-game road trip. "We were so, so bad in the first half, but at least everyone knew how bad we were," said Suns forward P.J. Tucker, who had 13 points and 10 rebounds. "When we were down, everyone was like, Were good. Thats the kind of faith we have in our team, but we cant keep doing this." The Cavaliers, who led by 20 late in the second quarter, fell to 1-3 on a five-game homestand considered crucial to their chances of staying in the Eastern Conference playoff race. "They outworked us in the second half, simply put," said All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, who led Cleveland with 24 points. Cavaliers centre Anderson Varejao injured his left leg late in the fourth quarter. He was down on the court for several minutes, but remained in the game. Varejao, who has battled injuries the last three seasons, will be checked by the teams medical staff on Monday. "I was worried," Brown said. "His knee was bothering him a little bit. It was tough to see." Phoenix trailed 61-43 at halftime, but hit five 3-pointers in the third quarter. Tucker scored on an offensive rebound with 45 seconds left to put Phoenix ahead 68-67, its first lead since 9-6 just 4 minutes into the game. The Cavaliers were 2 of 22 from the field in the third and set a season low for points in a quarter. Clevelands 29 points after halftime marked a season worst for a half. "I got on their case at halftime beecause we didnt give effort in the first half," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. Cristiano Ronaldo Jersey. "It was the defence that did it. We got stops and that started it. Then all of a sudden, the other team was back on their heels." The Suns broke away from a 70-all tie with 11 straight points early in the fourth. Leandro Barbosas free throw put Phoenix ahead for good. Morris scored six points in the run before Barbosas steal and layup made it 81-70 with 8:38 remaining. Irvings two free throws with 2:06 to play cut it to 88-85. The teams traded baskets before Fryes 3-pointer made it 93-87 with 1:14 remaining. Phoenix shot just 39 per cent in the first half, when its starters combined for 24 points. Morris scored 15 off the bench. The Suns came out firing in the third quarter, forcing Cleveland to call timeout twice in the first 5 minutes. Frye hit 3s on three straight possessions, Gerald Green added a 3-pointer and a jumper, and a 3 by Dragic helped cut the lead to 65-61. Phoenix trimmed the lead to two on two occasions. Ish Smiths free throw with 1:13 remaining made it 67-66 before Tucker put the Suns ahead. Cleveland ended the second quarter on a 22-10 run sparked by Luol Dengs 10 points and six by Irving. The Cavaliers led 39-33 with 7:39 remaining in the period when Deng hit two jumpers, a layup and four free throws. He also found Jarrett Jack in the corner for a 3-pointer with a pass from the top of the key. Irving added a pair of jumpers and two foul shots. Irving had 13 points and seven assists in the first half. The third-year guard, elected an All-Star starter for the first time last week, had six assists in the first quarter, including Clevelands first four baskets of the game. Deng had 12 points, six rebounds and four assists in the first half. The Suns opened a road trip in which they will play four games in five nights. Phoenix went 1-4 on a trip earlier this month. NOTES: Suns G Eric Bledsoe (right knee surgery) is travelling with the team, but there remains no timetable for his return to the court. Bledsoe, the teams leading scorer, averaged 18 points in 24 games before undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on Jan. 10. ... Deng had his first double-double for the Cavaliers with 18 points and 10 rebounds. ... Phoenix recalled G Archie Goodwin from his NBA Development League assignment with Bakersfield. ... Cleveland brought back F Sergey Karasev and G Carrick Felix from their D-League assignments with Canton. ' ' '
